The 100 Degree Summer
by brainy-brownie123
Summary: It's been two years since Clarke spent the summer along the Redwood Coast in her family's beach house in Arcadia. It's been two years since her dad died. But she's determined not to let her grief stop her from having a great summer spent in the sunshine with Bellamy, Octavia, and her kru of friends. Small towns are known for spreading gossip, but the truth will come out eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Don't own The 100.

* * *

"Uggg," Clarke groaned, throwing her head back as she stumbled out of the SEC building and stepped into the early summer heat – which was only a few degrees' slight of being searing. To her, it was one of the best feelings to step out of an overly air-conditioned building and feel the sunlight warming her skin, enveloping her in a transparent, toasty hug. And… that feeling lasted for about ten seconds before she felt like she had stepped too close to the fire.

She huffed, reaching behind her to pull her hair away from her neck and felt instant relief as she pulled a band off her wrist and twirled her hair into a messy bun. She continued walking along the sidewalk, a median which separated the tall imposing brick buildings of the quad from the large void of green-space it surrounded. Here and there, she could see students lounging under the shadow of a tree, the natural shade providing a little, but noticeable, amount of protection from the sun and its sweltering heat. Along the pathway, she had to move a few times to avoid the rapid steps of a student desperate to make it to the library, their quick pace shaving minutes off 'travel time' and adding them to 'study time'. It was pretty easy to pick out which students had finished their exams and those who hadn't.

But of those people lounging on the grass, looking relaxed, well rested, and like they were wearing a fresh pair of jeans instead of the same ones from Monday, it was hard to distinguish between the ones who were done with finals and the ones who still had exams but didn't care to study 24/7. She gazed longingly at a group sitting along the amphitheater, two holding guitars and strumming along as the rest sang to an acoustic version of "I Took A Pill In Ibiza."

The corner of her mouth lifted into a grin as she imagined herself sitting around the glowing embers of a bonfire with her friends, singing along to an old tune they heard over and over on the radio back in the 00's. She was only a few steps away from living her fantasy – all she had to do was find Octavia, load up the car, meet up with Bellamy and Lincoln in Sacramento, then hit the road – the procedure was simple, but she was still miles away from her desired location: Arcadia.

The name of that tiny town on the coast of California was associated with the best memories of her childhood; learning to swim, making s'mores with her father, waking up to the smell of crisp ocean air and tiptoeing down the stairs to pad along the floor and step onto the deck to watch the sunrise - they all happened in Arcadia.

This year would be different though, she thought sadly. Her father wouldn't be there. It would be her first summer in Arcadia since her father died two years ago. But Clarke knew that regardless of whether her Dad was there or not, things would never be the same. Things change. Time doesn't stop to let you smell the roses, it surges forward - appearing agonizingly slow to a child and blindingly fast to an adult - and yet, coinciding with the theory of relativity, it moves at a constant speed, no matter the speed of the observer. You couldn't repeat past moments; you could only relive memories.

But, there were new memories to be made. The childhood wonders of collecting seashells, building sandcastles, and riding carousels might fade over time, but adulthood brings new surprises – mainly in the form of alcoholic beverages, but there were also things like surfing the perfect wave, kayaking along the Redwood Coast, and competing in the annual beach volleyball tournament.

So Clarke was going to make the most of it, meaning she wasn't going to let the pain of losing her father stop her from returning to the beautiful coast of Arcadia with her motley group of friends in tow, taking full advantage of their family's expansive beach house, and spending summer in the sunshine.

She finally made it to Kurson Lofts, where she shared an apartment with Octavia, and hurried through the lobby to catch the elevator before the doors closed. She pulled the strands of wispy hair that had fallen out of the bun and tucked them behind her ear. Her phone buzzed loudly from where it was stowed in her purse and she dug around old receipts and other paraphernalia to pull it out.

...

 **Octavia: Are you here yet? I'm ready to gooooo**

 **Clarke: Coming up, hold on**

 **Octavia: ….**

 **Clarke: I can't make the elevator go any faster**

 **Octavia: Not with that attitude you can't**

...

The elevator dinged and Clarke waited for the others to exit before stepping onto the fourth floor, she walked down the hall to 401b and was startled when the door swung open before she could knock.

She flinched when she met Octavia on the other side, who immediately started shrieking and jumping up and down.

"Ahhhh!" Octavia yelled out excitedly.

Clarke tried her best to ignore her as she pushed herself through the threshold and into the tiny living room.

"Finally, I had to wait forever," Octavia groaned as she stumbled past Clarke to flop on the couch next to a large suitcase and matching weekend bag, "It's so hard to find something to do when you suddenly have time to actually _do_ something besides problem sets, reading, and studying."

"So what did you do?" Clarke called out from the bathroom as she gathered up her toiletries to throw into a makeup bag.

"I reorganized my pins on Pinterest," she said proudly, taking a deep breath before she started rambling, "The _cakes_ board was getting too ambiguous so I sorted it into cakes, cupcakes, pancakes, pound cakes, birthday cakes, Bundt cakes, cheesecakes, ice cream cakes, sponge cakes…"

Clarke was out of range once she went into her room and entered the closet, there was only a vague murmuring sounding through the walls. She grabbed her hamper and remaining bags of accessories and took a last look around her room for anything she might've missed. It was strange to see the room stripped bare after spending months sleeping under colorful bedding, bright fairy lights, and all the art pieces she had scattered across the walls.

She loaded the bags onto her shoulders and squeezed out of the doorway. "Ready?" she called to Octavia.

"Yes!" she leaped of the couch and snatched her purse from the coffee table.

They looked round the apartment for the last time (next year they would be staying in a townhouse off-campus) and flipped the light switch and closed the door behind them.

Clarke suddenly felt a bit melancholy saying goodbye to what was essentially her home for the past year, but she tried to push that aside and absorb some of the excitement that Octavia was giving off.

"Now it's officially the first day of summer!" she cheered, but then paused for a beat, tilting her head in deliberation, "or should the first day of summer start once we're at the beach house? Or wait, should it wait til the whole kru arrives? Ugh, but that would mean waiting a week longer…"

"O," Clarke stopped her, smiling, "the first day of summer starts the minute we get in the car, start the engine, and drive away from _here_ and turn towards the ocean."

They located her sleek, white Camaro in the parking lot and quickly crammed all their bags in the trunk, then sprinted to the doors to slide into their seats and click their seatbelts. Octavia was humming a high pitch frequency and practically bouncing in her seat. Clarke reached up behind the review mirror and pulled the front latch to release the convertible top from the windshield and when she pushed the rear button, they watched the windows lower as the top disappeared from above their heads and pulled back to fold neatly over the trunk. She turned the key, and pressed her foot on the accelerator to hear the engine roar to life.

They slipped their sunglasses on and turned to face each other, wide grins tugging at the corners of their mouths. Clarke turned out of the lot and started down the road. Octavia lasted about ten seconds before she reached over to slap her hand on the radio button.

Clarke flinched when Octavia squealed loudly into her ear.

...

 _Don't tell your mother_

 _Kiss one another_

 _Die for each other_

 _We're cool for the summer_

 _..._

Demi Lovato's "Cool for the Summer" blasted through the speakers as Octavia sang along, the base vibrating through their seats. "Nooo," Clarke groaned throwing her head back in exaggeration.

"You don't like this song?" Octavia asked, turning the volume down.

"I've heard it so many times recently," Clarke explained, "the radio stations only play the most recent and most popular stuff over and over again and it just gets tiring."

"Well what do you want to listen to?" Octavia asked, pulling out her phone and pairing it with the car's Bluetooth.

"Alice Cooper," she replied without hesitation.

"Alice Cooper?" she spouted, "why would you…. Ohhh, yeah, ok, I got the song."

She waited for Octavia to select the right song on her music app and cheered when she heard the distinct rhythm of electric guitars and drum set percussion.

...

 _School's out for summer_

 _School's out forever_

 _School's been blown to pieces_

 _..._

They sang along to the chorus as the engine hummed and the noise from the roadway increased as they picked up speed. They took the ramp onto the highway and continued west on I-80 towards Sacramento, where they would meet up with Bellamy and Lincoln before taking the six-hour drive north on I-5 to Arcadia.

* * *

 **AN:** another disclaimer is that I don't live in, nor have ever been to California, so I'm not that familiar with it's geography or culture.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Here's chapter 2, hope you'll enjoy

* * *

Bellamy was just leaving the office when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 **Octavia: We're on our way! Just left SJSU**

Bellamy checked the time and figured that with rush hour, it would take the girls two and a half to three hours to get to Sacramento from San Jose.

 **Bellamy: Alright, see you soon**

He walked through the lobby to the entrance, pushed the door open, and was immediately engulfed in the dry, smoldering heat of the afternoon. Reaching up to unbutton his collar, he sighed in relief and rolled his neck. He walked quickly through the parking lot, the pavement simmering with reflected light from the sun.

He stepped up into his old, bent-up Jeep and turned the ignition – immediately blasting the AC in an effort to disperse the heat. He ran a hand through his hair, which he had gelled back this morning but by the afternoon his bangs had fallen on either side of his face.

He pulled out his phone to text Lincoln

 **Bellamy: Hey girls are en route**

 **meet me at the field**

 **we've got an hour to kill**

* * *

Bellamy heard a whoosh and then a slap as he caught the ball in his glove. He turned his body ninety degrees to line up the throw and took the ball in his hand, gripping it lightly with his fingers over the seams, and pulled his arm back, bending his elbow and cocking his wrist, flinging it back to Lincoln who was standing about fifty yards away.

Lincoln shuffled his feet with his eyes on the ball and easily caught it in his glove, then threw it to Bellamy's left where Miller was standing.

"So remind me where we're going exactly?" Miller called across the field as he threw the ball to Bellamy, "Arcadia?"

Clarke had invited a number of her friends to come spend the summer with her in Arcadia, but between school and work they were all arriving at different times. She, Octavia, Lincoln, and he were leaving this afternoon; the rest of the arrivals were scattered through the following week.

"Yeah," Bellamy answered, reaching out to catch the ball, "It's a little town along the coast, about a hundred miles west of Redding."

"She's got family there?"

Bellamy threw the ball to Lincoln and speculated based on what he'd heard from Octavia and what Clarke had told him, "Not exactly, but it's where she spent a majority of her summers as a kid. Her parents have a house down there, apparently when it's not a vacation home her mom uses it to sweet-talk with the big wig hospital donors."

"Hmm must be pretty nice then."

"Pretty big too," Lincoln pitched in, "Since it's got room to sleep nine people."

Bellamy faltered and almost missed catching the ball hurdling towards him. He didn't really think about how many people she'd asked and where they were all going to sleep. He figured they'd stay in a hotel… or sleep on the floor… or sleep on the beach for that matter.

"I'd be surprised if it did," Bellamy said doubtfully, "they're all staying in a hotel or something."

"Airbnb?" Miller suggested.

"I think you guys are underestimating the size of these things," Lincoln explained, "have you never seen a beach house?"

"I live in an apartment in uptown Sacramento," Bellamy deadpanned.

"I'm from Denver," Miller added.

"Now I don't know about California," Lincoln warned, "But I'm from Louisiana, and y'all need to know a few things about the South - _anything_ can be fried, sweet tea is the only tea, the food groups are biscuits, BBQ, fried chicken, and crawfish, and we build massive houses because there's so much land at our disposal."

He continued, "In coastal areas of the South, the most common building type is the tidewater house. They're raised on pilings about ten feet from the ground to protect it from harsh storms and flooding. These things have two or more stories with massive wrap around porches on both levels. And they are expensive – more than half a million dollars, so a lot of people rent them out to guests and tourists. They put bunk beds in all the kids' rooms, and two twins or a queen in the others because the more people they can accommodate, the more money they can charge. I bet this house can sleep fifteen people, easy."

Lincoln raised his brow as he looked back and forth between Bellamy and Miller's expressions of bewilderment. "What?" he challenged, "I had to take a class on local architecture; it was either that or the study of modern art."

"There's no way that house fits fifteen people," Bellamy objected, "Not unless someone's sleeping on the couch."

"Well gentlemen," Miller sassed, "care to put a bit of money on this wager?"

Lincoln shrugged, "I'm feelin' pretty lucky. How much money we talkin'?"

"40 bucks?" Bellamy suggested tentatively. Miller and Lincoln nodded their heads in agreement.

"So Lincoln you're on for fifteen?" Miller asked.

"Yup," he answered.

"Okay, I'm game for twelve," he ventured, "Bellamy?"

"Seven," he answered confidently.

They met on the middle of the field and shook hands in agreement, then walked around the dugout to the entrance. They reached the parking lot and paused before parting to their cars.

"Alright man," Bellamy turned to Miller to give him a one-armed hug, "we'll see you Thursday."

Lincoln and Miller said goodbye with a bro-hug and the three left the complex to go home.

* * *

Bellamy and Lincoln met up at the house they rented and went to pack while they waited for the girls to arrive.

Bellamy paced around his room, collecting the things he needed for their vacation, throwing everything into a duffel bag. His phone pinged and the screen lit up with a text notification.

 **Octavia: Just passed the promenade**

The girls had reached the shopping mall a couple miles from their house.

"Lincoln," Bellamy called down the stairs, "twenty minutes!"

They left their bags at the front door and did a check to make sure they didn't forget anything critical.

"Phone?" Bellamy asked.

"Yup, charger?" Lincoln replied.

He nodded, "ID?"

"Got it… credit card?" Lincoln returned.

Bellamy felt for his wallet in his back pocket, "yep… underwear?"

" _Underwear?_ "

"What?" Bellamy put his hands out in defense, "It's important."

Lincoln rolled his eyes, leaning over to grab his duffel bag, "let's load up the trunk."

* * *

"We're back bitches!" Octavia screeched with her arms in the air as she and Clarke came zooming down the street in their sleek white convertible, wearing sunglasses and matching smiles, their hair blowing behind them. Turning onto the driveway, they pulled up and parked behind his old, beat-up Jeep, the black paint smeared with dirt and dust.

"Here we go," Bellamy mumbled wearily to Lincoln before he walked down the drive to meet his sister.

"Hi, big brother!" Octavia called as she ran up to meet him, slamming into his hard chest and throwing her arms around him in a tight bear hug. She pulled back and smiled widely at him, eyes bright and happy; and he looked at her and saw someone who was similar to the little sister he had said goodbye to before the fall semester, but now even more beautiful and refined, maturing into an adult at a rate faster than Bellamy was okay with. She was once a good two feet shorter than him, but they'd been practically the same height for years now. It seemed to him that only a few years ago he was walking down the street with her beside him, taking her to middle school before he continued walking to the high school. And now, at the end of the spring semester, she had just finished her sophomore year of college.

"Lincoln!" she called excitedly when she spotted him over Bellamy's shoulder. She pulled out of his embrace and ran up the driveway to greet the man who was standing by the garage, giving the siblings some space for their reunion.

Once Octavia moved from his line of sight, his eyes focused on the other person standing a few feet away in front of him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, his eyes glazing over her appearance, taking everything in, then going back to study her features in more detail. Her bright eyes and rosy lips complemented her soft, light skin. Her long blonde hair was tousled by the wind, falling all around her and pooling into curly waves on her shoulders. His gaze moved up to her face again and he noticed her eyes narrow at him in suspicion. He paused, knowing he had been caught, and shook his head, trying to think of something to say.

"Clarke," he greeted stiffly. He cleared his throat as they stood there awkwardly, not knowing what kind of greeting was appropriate for their 'relationship status'. What did Octavia always say? He racked his brain… it was an acronym… _"DTR, always always DTR! It's crucial that you define the relationship."_ So what were they? Was there a word for your sister's best friend, but who's also kind-of your friend; who you're attracted to and you think maybe they're attracted to you too; who you like to argue with and get under their skin, but who you also get _so_ aggravated by? Are you 'close friends'? Is it a 'casual' relationship? A 'romantic friendship'?

The air between them had been strained ever since their little 'coition', so to speak. Even though it happened months ago, they'd never said anything about it to each other and it was real easy to avoid _that_ conversation or any awkward encounters when he was in Sacramento and she was a hundred miles away at college in San Jose. But now here they were, face to face, with months and months of bottled up tension waiting to erupt.

His eyebrows pressed together and he wondered if they would ever get past this uncomfortable stage and resume the easy friendship they had before. He was beside himself, muscles tight and body rigid with restless energy. His fingers twitched as nerves zinged down his arms and hands, wanting so badly to move. To do something – anything – that would move him forward, get him past this particular moment of time that seemed to drag on and on. He looked at her closely, trying to read her expression, to give him some clue as to where they stood, but she wore a mask of neutrality that gave nothing away.

"Bellamy," she answered, breathing a long sigh before walking to stand before him. They both leaned in to the left for a hug, and then both moved to the right to correct it. He huffed and moved his arm behind her in a wide embrace, patting her on the back. She pulled away and looked up at him, smiling hesitantly, trying to ease the tension. _Oh thank you_ , he sighed internally, relieved that she gave him something to work with. He returned her grin with a tiny quirk of the corner of his mouth.

Thankfully, they were saved from their awkward greeting when Octavia came bounding back down the driveway, Lincoln following behind her. Clarke and his friend greeted each other with warm smiles and a quick embrace, having only met once before, last summer when they were living in Arlington and she and Octavia came to visit.

"Ah, Bell!" O exclaimed, reaching into the passenger seat to grab her purse and phone, "Dead week was crazy, Clarke found this concentrated coffee mix and we drank it straight, we were up for days, I finally finished my chem revision, thank God because if I didn't I probably would have failed the exam and then…"

"Mmm-hmm," Bellamy hummed, trying to pay attention to his sister as he joined Clarke to help unload the trunk.

"Ooh!" she spoke up excitedly, "Clarke made the dean's list, again!"

"Really?" Bellamy said playfully turning to smirk at her.

She just shrugged her shoulders and shut the trunk.

"And did you make any lists?" he asked his sister.

"Nope," she answered quickly.

Clarke snorted, knowing that Octavia had, in fact, made a list – their dorm's annual 'Hot List'. Octavia turned her head to stare daggers at her and Bellamy looked between the two of them sternly.

"The 'Hot List'," Clarke mumbled, and Octavia narrowed her eyes and at her friend's betrayal.

" _Clarke_ ," she whined as Bellamy glared at her and sucked in a deep breath about to put her through the ringer.

"It's not as bad as it sounds!" Octavia cut in innocently, raising her palms in defense before Bellamy could start, "It was a charity! For global warming!" She turned to Clarke to back her up.

Clarke sighed and explained, "Whoever got the most students to calculate their carbon footprint and make a donation got their name on the list, and next to the year 2016 it says 'Octavia Blake'."

"Hot list," he grumbled, walking up the driveway to his car.

Clarke backed her Camaro off the driveway to let Bellamy out, then pulled back up. Raven and Wick were flying in to SIA, which was only ten miles from Bellamy's house, and Clarke had mailed them her spare key so they could drive her convertible to Arcadia instead of spending loads of money on a rental car.

So the four of them were going to pile into Bellamy's Jeep for the three-hundred-mile journey to Arcadia. They weren't thrilled at the thought of being crammed in a car together for the next five hours, but as Octavia reminded them, they could take comfort knowing they were helping the earth by carpooling and decreasing their carbon footprint.

"Alright," Bellamy said, turning the ignition and yanking the door closed, "who's ready to get the hell out of here?"

"Me," they all said at once, but Octavia's voice was the loudest and most ecstatic, so it covered up Clarke and Lincoln's neutral agreement.

Bellamy put the car in drive and snaked through the neighborhood. They made it a few blocks before Octavia reached over to turn the radio on. The other three flinched as the music blared loudly through the speakers, but Octavia shouted in excitement and put her hands in the air, immediately singing along.

…

 _Talk to me, baby_

 _I'm going after this sweet craving, whoa-oh_

 _Let's lose our minds and go crazy crazy_

 _I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hoping we'll eat cake by the ocean_

…

"NO!" the others shouted in unison. Bellamy immediately reached forward and slapped his palm on the power button.

"What?" Octavia exclaimed.

"That song," Clarke grumbled.

"What's wrong with it?" Octavia asked, "it's good, it's perfect for summer."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Bellamy sighed, "it's just so overplayed."

"We're tired of it," Lincoln explained as Clarke said, "I've heard it so many times."

Bellamy reached over to pop the glove box open and rooted around, pulling out a CD that had _Summer '15_ scrawled across it in black sharpie. He slid it into the radio and turned the volume knob. They were silent in anticipation, waiting to hear what song would play. Listening carefully, they cheered as they heard the familiar chunky 6-string into.

…

 _I got my first real six-string_

 _Bought it at the five-and-dime_

 _Played it till my fingers bled_

 _Was the summer of '69_

…

Listening to Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69", which peaked at number five on the Billboard Top 100, Clarke grinned and looked up to see Bellamy watching her in the rearview mirror. When he caught her eye he winked suggestively. She breathed sharply and felt her cheeks flush at what he was alluding to.

Clarke's heart beat a tiny bit faster and she felt a little bit of weight lift from her shoulders; she wanted to keep her expectations low so she wouldn't be disappointed, but she was starting to think that this would be the best summer yet.

* * *

 **AN:** Hope that you don't mind that this chapter ended the same way the first one did, I don't usually include music but for this story it's important in my "author's opinion." So please review and let me know what you think.

If you have any song suggestions I'd love to hear them, please PM me.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** I enjoyed writing it, hope you like reading it.

* * *

"Okay," Bellamy said as he exited the freeway, turning to glance at Clarke who was now riding shotgun, "I need directions now."

During their journey, Clarke was happy not to sense any tension between herself and Bellamy. To her, it seemed that they both wanted to put the past behind them and be friends. And that was probably the best outcome, she thought, or at least the safest.

"Keep going straight," she said, "you'll get to a T-section once you hit the 101."

The five-hour trip went as well as it could have for four people occupying one car; they made a pit stop for gas and a bathroom break, then continued heading northwest - following the sun as it tilted across the sky along the summer meridian, drifting down ever so slowly to align with the equator on the day of the September equinox.

They continued down the road, watching as the thick wall of pine trees gave way to fields of bluebonnets, telephone lines and scattered rooves peeking up from the valley, all surrounded by the rolling hills on the horizon. After they crossed the Tondeeci River, they saw a large sign made of wood siding painted dark blue with elegant white letters that read 'Welcome to Arcadia.'

Bellamy got to the 101 and turned left, heading south through the town. All their heads were tilted out the windows as they looked left and right at the scattered buildings; businesses, cafes, houses, hotels, churches, seafood restaurants, bait shops, surf shacks, boat rentals, etc.

They got a quick glance at the marina as Bellamy turned onto Cannon Shore Rd, and they continued on a wide arc around the bay, gradually approaching the water as they reached the shoreline.

Clarke's heart was soaring higher and higher as they drove down the coast along the narrow peninsula that shielded the bay from the vast abyss of the Pacific Ocean. As she looked at the big open sky, the quiet bay on her left, the waves crashing on the shore to her right, the wind whooshing around the windshield and whipping their hair in all directions - her mind let go of all the stress and worries that had accumulated during the semester, and she was left with a numb peace. She rolled her shoulders and felt the relief of letting go of a heavy burden that had been accumulating for months, and thought this must be what relaxed feels like.

"Turn right onto Crystal Beach," she said to Bellamy. They looked around at the varied beach houses dotting the shore, different shapes and colors, but all massive and lifted from the ground on thin pilings. Octavia pointed excitedly at the bright colors painted on the houses' siding façade – all different shades of pink, soft yellow, aqua blue, teal, and purple.

They went a few more miles before turning left onto Coral Cove. Once they rounded the corner, Clarke was ready to jump out of her seat as she pointed straight ahead and cheered, "we're here!"

Bellamy pulled up to the curb and stopped before the driveway. In front of them was a mint green house with light yellow trim and railing, a large front deck partially covered by a skillion roof, which was attached to a taller wall with a line of clerestory windows, an eight-sided tower rose along with a spiral staircase to enclose a small space for three Adirondack chairs, yellow, blue, and pink.

"Woah," Lincoln interrupted the silence with his stunned expression. Clarke turned to see Bellamy and Octavia wearing matching expressions of amazement, eyes wide and jaws dropped with their lips slightly parted.

"Yeah," Octavia sighed and continued excitedly, "Clarke this house on point! We're gonna get so turnt this summer!"

"Did you understand what she just said?" Bellamy turned to Clarke with confusion, but she just smirked in response. He pulled up onto the driveway and pulled the parking break, releasing the locks on their doors.

"Okay," she announced, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door, "we're gonna drop off our stuff, then we're going grocery shopping. We have to - "

"Can't we at least have a drink first?" Bellamy sighed.

"No," she started, "the house - "

"I've been driving for five hours!" Bellamy frowned, cutting her off again.

Clarke drew in a deep breath and he tensed waiting to hear her fighting words. She pointed at him harshly, but she froze before saying anything, instead she relaxed her stance and gave him a mocking smile.

"Sure, you can stay behind," Clarke said sweetly. Bellamy frowned and knew he would find out soon enough what she was on about. He opened the trunk and they all took their bags out.

Clarke unlocked the door on the ground level which opened to a narrow, but tall corridor. A little umbrella stand was sitting just inside and opposite was a granite vanity with a large ornate mirror. They turned left and started up the stairs, following Clarke who unlocked the second door at the top and went in to turn the light on then held it open for them.

As soon as he walked inside the door, Bellamy understood why Clarke wanted them to go shopping instead of stay here. It was baking hot inside, not only that but he suddenly felt short of breath. He stepped into the room and dropped his bag to the ground, looking around the large ground floor. Well, not technically a _ground_ floor, he thought, smiling slightly.

It was an open plan with bright walls and cream tiles, complemented with the dark brown furniture. On his right was a large kitchen with walnut cabinets and a granite countertop. There was an island in the middle with three bar stools on the outside, as well as a taller bar counter opposite the detached cabinetry.

To his left was a large living space where the kitchen celling - which ended on a line perpendicular to the stairs in the back, signifying the bedroom space above - rose up two stories tall, with a line of glass screen doors and bright strip windows opening onto the beachside deck.

There were three large, dark, leather couches around a glass coffee table, a TV, mounted on the wall over a thin console table, and two square end tables opposite. Between the living area and the stairs was a large oak dining table with bench seats.

Bellamy turned his head and noticed the little alcove in the corner, near the TV. There were four large couches squeezed around a small round table - the eight, thin walls made it obvious that it was the interior of the tower.

"Oh my god, it's suffocating in here," Octavia said dramatically, huffing as she lugged her bag in through the door.

"We turn the AC off during the winter," Clarke said looking pointedly at Bellamy as she walked across the kitchen to the little temperature control box hiding in a corner, "besides, no one's been here for two years, so it's gonna take some time to get it cool again. We need to open all the windows to pull fresh air in."

So they left their bags by the foot of the stairs and went around the house, opening most of the windows on the ground floor, and went up the stairs to open the single window in each bedroom.

They all met back at the door, but as Clarke turned to open the door, Bellamy stopped her, remembering something.

"Hey, Clarke," he crooned with a devilish smile, elbowing Lincoln, "just wondering, how many people does this house sleep?"

She frowned, her nose scrunching slightly, and looked back to the doors behind the stairs, then tilted her chin towards the bedrooms above.

"Hmm," she thought, turning to him, "well, if you count the rollaway… nineteen."

"Dang," Octavia uttered.

Now it was Bellamy and Lincoln wearing matching expressions of surprise, but soon Lincoln's mouth turned up with a smile and he cracked up laughing.

" _Nineteen_?" Bellamy repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah," Clarke shrugged, a bit confused, "there're six bedrooms, and they can all sleep two minimum, and the one's upstairs are all bunks."

Lincoln laughed louder, turning to Bellamy, "Aw man, even if you doubled yours, you'd still only get fourteen." Bellamy frowned at him, unimpressed.

"What is he talking about?" Clarke mumbled in Octavia's ear, but she shook her head, just as clueless.

"Ah," Lincoln sighed, patting Bellamy on the shoulder, "someone owes me forty bucks."

"Are you ready to go now, boys?" Octavia called as Clarke held the door for her while she started down the stairs. Bellamy followed behind them, muttering, ' _seven_ … _Miller_ … _forty bucks_ … _Lincoln_ ,' under his breath.

They trailed back down the stairs and returned to the car, driving the other direction along the roads they had arrived on, traveling north through the town to the grocery store.

* * *

They were blasted with cold air as the automatic doors slid open and they filed in, grabbing a couple shopping carts. Octavia pulled out her phone and went to her files to find the shopping list she'd made.

"Okay, boys," she turned to Bellamy and Lincoln, "you're on drinks and alcohol, don't forget those tiny little umbrella thingys, charcoal and meat, water, and dry goods, we're going to the toiletries section, household stuff, and we'll take care of the fruit and veg."

They split up and Clarke and Octavia went down the aisles, grabbing paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, dryer sheets, dish soap, sponges, gloves, hand soap, trash bags etc.

Then they went down the beauty aisles, and Clarke paused to pick out a shampoo. Clarke had a thing about shampoo on vacations – she wanted to grab something new and in a different scent than the one she had at home. It just made the vacation more special to her. She moved down the aisle, occasionally grabbing a bottle and cracking the lid to smell it. She settled on a bright teal bottle, with 'Coconut Oil' in gold metallic letters along the side, figuring it was fitting for her beach vacation.

"Which one should we get for the boys?" Octavia gestured to the small collection of men's hair care products. Clarke smirked and grabbed something off the shelf, showing it to Octavia.

"Yup, that's the one," Octavia grinned, and grabbed the matching conditioner to throw it in the cart.

Later, as they moved through the wellness section, Clarke stopped to grab a box of tampons, and she watched as Octavia grabbed a large box of rubbers and throw it in the cart. Octavia looked up to see Clarke giving her a weird look.

"What?" she challenged defensively, "better to be safe than sorry."

"You need that many?"

" _We_ ," Octavia corrected, looking at her sternly, "you never know Clarke, gotta be prepared."

"Ha!" Clarke answered in disbelief, rolling her eyes, and continued pushing the cart.

"Okay, let's double check the list," Clarke said as they finished on the last aisle. Octavia whipped out her phone and scrolled down the list.

"Most important, sunscreen?" Octavia said.

"Got it," Clarke nodded.

"After sun and aloe?"

"Yup, also important."

"Razors? Body wash? Shampoo?"

"Yep, got all the essentials," Clarke said, "let's find the boys and get out of here, I'm hungry."

* * *

They were just putting the last bag in Bellamy's trunk when someone called, "Clarke?"

She whipped around to see a blast from the past, Zoe Monroe, one of the friends she hung out with over the summer. She remembered that they would lounge on the beach and ride the carousel over and over again at the fair. They met each other when they were ten, in 'The Painted Lady' art store; Zoe was a really good photographer.

"Zoe," Clarke turned to face her, smiling lightly, "hey."

The girl walked up and gave Clarke a light hug, "It's so good to see you, it's been forever."

She pulled back and looked like she wanted to say something. Her face took the expression that Clarke would know anywhere, sympathy, she'd been getting that look for two years now.

"How are you doing?" she asked carefully.

"I'm okay," Clarke said, feeling a little uncomfortable. She wasn't about to talk about her father in the middle of a parking lot with someone she hadn't spoken to in two years.

Clarke was trying to think of something to change the topic and she realized she didn't introduce her friends. She cleared her throat and said, "Guys, this is Zoe."

"Zoe, this is Octavia, Bellamy, and Lincoln," she gestured to each of them, "The guys came up from Sacramento, and O and I go to SJSU; they're staying with me for the summer."

"Nice to meet you," Octavia said waving her hand.

"Welcome to Arcadia," she smiled warmly.

"Alright," Clarke said hesitantly, wanting to say goodbye without being rude.

"Oh hey," Zoe said with excitement, "you guys should come to my pool party, starts at 7."

"Oh, okay," Clarke, turned to her friends, "guys?"

"Yeah," they all nodded, Lincoln shrugged.

"Yay! Great!," she turned around and called behind her, "See you later then!"

"Bye," Clarke said.

* * *

Bellamy and Lincoln were waiting by the door as Clarke came down the stairs in different clothes, jean shorts and some flowy mesh shirt, he noticed.

She walked over to lean against the island as they waited for Octavia.

"You're not going to put on your swimsuit?" Octavia asked as she walked out of the bathroom and saw what Clark was wearing.

"No," Clarke sighed, "I'm just not feeling it tonight."

"Okay," Octavia said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Bellamy frowned, it was unusual for his sister to leave it at that, without pushing for a reason.

"Wait a minute," Bellamy started, "Why didn't Clark get the same twenty question inquisition that I do?"

He was confused again when he caught O off guard, shaking her head slightly, not knowing what to reply. He noticed Clarke had looked away, face frozen in a vacant stare. Octavia recovered and patted Clarke to wake her up from whatever la la land she was in.

"Because I just know her," she said dismissively, wrapping her arm around her best friend, leading her to the door, "now come on, let's go."

"You need to work on your come backs," he teased as they filed down the stairs.

* * *

They drove along Shore Rd and watched as the sun dipped into the deep ocean, a patch of light shining over the water, almost like a pier leading indefinitely towards the sun, hues of pink and orange stretching along the horizon, reflecting on the cover of white clouds in the blue sky.

After a few miles, Clarke pointed out the house, with teal siding and white trim, and Bellamy pulled over and parked on the curb. As they stepped out of the car, they could immediately hear the noise of a party, the thumping base of music speakers, the occasional splash of someone jumping in the pool.

Clarke led them on a stone path around the back, opening a tiny gate. She turned around the corner of the house, stepping out to the pool area, and she looked around, unsure what to do. She scanned for anyone else she knew and spotted Katie and Trina chatting on lounge chairs. Then she saw Zoe walking towards them.

"Hey guys!" she said, "come with me, we'll fix you up with some drinks." So, the four of them followed her to the tiki bar in the corner, pouring themselves a beer, or for Octavia, a margarita.

"So how did you guys meet?" she asked them.

"Well," Octavia said, linking her arm with Clarke's, "we met freshman year."

Then she pointed to Bellamy and Lincoln, "and that's my brother and his friend…wait, how did you guys meet exactly?" Clarke frowned and realized she didn't know how Bellamy and Lincoln had met either.

The boys looked at each other with blank faces and Bellamy said, "It's a long story."

Then the girls looked at each other, having a silent conversation of _what was that?_ and _I don't know_.

"Monroe!" a voice called, "we need napkins!"

"Oops, gotta go, let me know if you need anything." They said goodbye as she turned around and went to find the voice that needed napkins.

"Alright, Clarke," Bellamy teased, "are there any girls you should tell me about?"

Her heart suddenly panged in her chest, feeling rejected – which was completely ridiculous considering Bellamy was just her friend and she didn't have feelings for him, was barely attracted to him for that matter.

"Ooh," Octavia jumped on her heels, "Me, Clarke! Are there any boys I should know about?"

"Better tell me about the boys too," Bellamy cut in.

Clarke rolled her eyes in exasperation, quickly whispering _later_ to Octavia, who nodded ever so slightly.

"Okay," Clarke announced with a cheer, hoping it would disguise her heartache, raising her glass and looking around the pool, "Girls and boys for Bellamy…"

O and Lincoln snickered.

Bellamy cleared his throat, correcting her, "Girls for Bellamy, guys _not_ for O."

"I think I can handle that myself, big brother. I survived two years of college without you, you know."

"Ugh, don't remind me," he retorted, "the nightmares…" Clarke snickered.

"Well, O," she turned to her friend, "I might as well tell you both, there's only two guys you need to watch out for."

She gestured across the pool where a few guys were talking.

"The blond," she said, and Bellamy looked to find him. He had a long face with a square jaw and big nose.

"That's Dax," Clarke said coldly. They stood and looked at the guy and the group he was talking to, the three friends wondering what his story was, and if or how it involved Clarke.

"And the other guy…." she started and looked around again but couldn't spot him, "he must not be here."

"Anyway," she said, trying to change the topic lighten the mood, "Girls…" She looked around the pool and found a group in the hot tub. There were three girls in skimpy bikinis, holding champagne glasses with a guy between each one, red cups littering the edge.

"See those girls?" she gestured towards them, "That's Harper, Fox, and Roma. If you're looking to 'do the do,' as they say, all you gotta do is get them alone. Separate one from her friends and get rid of the other guys."

"What about them," Bellamy nodded towards the friends she had spotted earlier.

"That's Katie and Trina," she said, "they're my friends, which means they're off limits unless you actually want to get to know them."

"Decisions, decisions," Bellamy hummed as he walked off looking between the two clusters of girls.

"O, Lincoln?" she turned to each of them.

"I want to go in the pool!" Octavia said, already kicking off her flip flops and slipping out of her shorts.

"Me too," Lincoln agreed and Clarke and Octavia exchanged a wide-eyed look as he took his shirt off, quickly glancing away before he noticed.

"Okay," Clarke smiled, she pointed to the lounge chairs, "I'm gonna catch up with some friends." She journeyed inside to see what the food situation was like and returned through the door with a plate of chips and salsa. She had just taken three steps outside when she looked up to see Bellamy sitting with Katie and Trina, and she smiled, happy with his decision and that he was getting to know her friends. She thought to go join them when someone blocked her path.

"Clarke, you're back!" it was a young boy with a round face and a mop of brown hair, wide eyes and a goofy smile.

"Hey Myles," she smiled at him politely, not really wanting to talk with him.

"How are you? How long have you been here?"

"I'm fine," she answered, "Um, I just got here today."

"Cool," he said, "hey, do you think you'd want to -"

"Myles," she quickly interrupted, "how's the boat?" He and his father were rebuilding an old Chris-Craft Launch 25 that they won at auction.

"Oh, great!" he said, "we finally finished refurbishing the hull, now we're working on the gunwale, but the problem is the bonding studs, you see, instead of bolts or screws, we want to bond threaded rods into the substrate and attach the hardware with nuts. So technically the hardware isn't 'bonded' to substrate, because - "

"Hey," Clarke said, remembering something that her dad was always going on about, hoping it would save her, "you know what, I was just talking to Derek about coatings for UV protection, L… P… something."

"Linear polyurethanes?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's it," she smiled, "you know, you should go talk to him, I thought he said he was leaving soon."

"Alright, so I'll see you around?" he looked to her hopefully.

"Yeah," she nodded, and turned away, "great to see you again Myles!"

She looked in the pool for Octavia and Lincoln and found them floating in an alcove near the hot tub, so she made to push through a huddle of people to get to them.

"Oh," she heard someone snap, recognizing the voice immediately, "I didn't know the _princess_ was back in town."

She looked towards the hot tub to see the striking blonde-haired, slicing brown-eyed girl who had given her the backhanded compliment. If she was the princess, then this was the queen. Harper McIntyre was lounging in the hot tub with her posy, Fox and Roma sitting pretty along with Drew and Connor.

"Oh, Harper," she smiled in greeting, "I almost didn't recognize you, with all those highlights."

"That your boyfriend?" she nodded towards Bellamy who was now talking with Diggs and Jones. She blinked and her mind flashed with jealousy.

"No," she replied, "I didn't know you were looking for one, I thought you had your hands full."

"Oooo," Connor cheered at her come back. Harper's glare turned icy as Clarke reminded her of the uncomfortable situation she had found her and Sterling in when she was supposedly dating Drew.

"I think I could squeeze him in," she bit back with a smile. The girls giggled next to her.

"I'm sorry," Clarke leaned down closer, "he doesn't date girls who p -"

"Dax!" Harper called, cutting her off, and then yelled louder, Dax!"

"What?" he said, turning around from his conversation.

"I think Clarke wants to go in," she said with an edge.

"I want to go in where?" she retorted.

"Into the pool!" Dax sang as lunged towards her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bending to swoop his arm behind her knees, knocking her feet off the ground. Her stomach dropped with the sudden absence of stability. She could hear her heart pounding, could feel it pulsing in her temples. Her stomach flipped and lurched again, and all the nerves in her body were tingling with anxiety.

"No!" Clarke yelled, and squirmed in his arms, "put me down!" Her mind flashed with old thoughts and memories. _Dad! Dad help me! I need you!_

"Hey!" Lincoln called from the water, where he and Octavia had seen the boy grab her. Bellamy stood after he heard her scream and turned to see what was going on across the pool. Dax was walking closer to the edge and she could no longer see the ground, it was now the rippling blue water of the pool. She was shrieking now, "No! No!" _I'll drown! I'll suffocate!_

Bellamy saw a short guy with shaggy brown hair, probably 18 or so, step forward and tug on the man's arm.

"Hey," Myles started, "hey Dax, don't man, just stop!"

 _Dad! I'm scared!_

The guy easily elbowed the boy out of the way, but another larger guy stepped forward, "Hey, put her down. Come on." It was Atom.

Dax seemed to listen to this one, and he turned around to place Clarke on the ground.

"Okay, okay, Geez, relax. What's the big drama?" Dax looked around densely and turned to walk away, "Pfft! Whatever."

Her body wasn't ready to stand on it's own, though, and she almost fell as her knees buckled, but Atom grabbed her arm and put his own around her waist. Another girl, Chelsea, came to support her on the other side. Bellamy walked around the pool towards Lincoln and O standing at the edge of the crowd.

"God, take a joke," Harper said under her breath.

" _Take a joke_?" Chelsea said, "what's the matter with you? She's scared."

"Hello," Harper sang, "she was trying to get attention."

"No, that's your job, isn't it, Harper?" Chelsea swiped back.

The girl shut up and looked away mumbling, "kidding."

Bellamy pushed through the crowd, trying to get closer to Clarke, it was hard to see, but it looked like she was crying. Atom and Chelsea were shielding her as they turned to take her into the house.

"What was _that_?" Bellamy asked, shocked, when he returned to Lincoln and his sister.

Lincoln shook his head and Octavia turned to him with a sad frown on her face.

"Clarke didn't tell you?" she asked carefully.

"Tell me what?"

"Her dad drowned," she whispered.

* * *

 **AN:** Changed rating to M for "suggestive adult themes and coarse language."

Must credit the movie Aquamarine for part of this chapter. You may have noticed, but if not, Chelsea is the name of the actress who plays Harper.

Please review :)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Thanks for waiting, as a reader I know it's tough, but as a writer I completely understand - wanted to get this posted, tonight! - so thank you again! I LOVE the reviews thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :)

* * *

Bellamy lay in his bed staring blankly at the ceiling. His blankets were tangled around his feet from all his turning and shifting, but he couldn't get comfortable enough to actually fall asleep. He yawned deeply and stretched his arms, folding them under his head to prop it up so he could look out the window at the end of his bed and see the deep, dark ocean under the starry sky. He listened to the lull of the ocean waves ebbing in and out along the shore, the thrashing and crashing of waves against the rocks, and the quick splash and burst of sea spray. The water was almost loud enough to cover the sound of the crickets, but not quite. If he listened carefully he could still hear their gentle humming floating along with the breeze. The still of night was definitely not something you would ever experience along the shore. The ocean was an object in constant motion, being pushed and pulled by the wind, by the moon, and by gravity. The ocean's power was measured in waves and sound and tonight sounded quite peaceful.

" _Her dad drowned_ ," Octavia's whisper echoed in his mind.

Bellamy sighed deeply and went over the events that'd happened earlier that night after Clarke had disappeared into the house at Zoe Monroe's pool party.

…

Bellamy and Lincoln turned to Octavia with stricken expressions, her eyebrows were furrowed and her frown deepened as she looked between them.

"There was a race," she started, uncertain whether Clarke wanted them to know; wondering if she should be telling them at this particular moment, but figuring now was as good a time as ever, "It was a regatta for some charity that the Ventura Yacht Club puts on each year."

She paused and took a deep breath, "It started in Santa Barbara and ended about seven-hundred miles up the coast in Crescent City, just north of Arcadia. All the major universities… Berkeley, Caltech, CSU, UCLA, SJSU… had a sailing team. And the boats were scheduled to pass through Arcadia on a Saturday… the same day that Jake always went fishing. Well… one of the college teams, I don't remember which, had a problem with their boat, something broke down or they hit something, they weren't really sure how it sank, the transponder was never recovered. Jake… he saw it happening and sailed over to help them, he got all the kids out of the boat, but one was trapped below deck and he went down and got them out… but he didn't make it. She said it was a few days after the accident that they found him… a lifeless body… just floating in the water."

…

" _He didn't make it_ ," Bellamy wiped his hand down his face, sighing deeply. He yawned again and turned onto his side, thinking back to earlier in the evening when they were leaving the house and put the pieces together with the new information he'd learned.

 _"You're not going to put on your swimsuit?" Octavia asked._

 _"No," Clarke sighed, "I'm just not feeling it tonight."_

 _"Okay," Octavia said, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder._

He guessed Clarke wasn't a big fan of the water anymore, not after what happened with her dad. No wonder Clarke hadn't come back to Arcadia the next summer, there were probably so many things that would remind her of her father and the tragic way she lost him. She was brave to come back, to return to the place haunted with memories of Jake and the summer's they spent together.

Bellamy's mind fast forwarded back to later that night, after Octavia had finished telling the story.

…

"When did this happen?" Lincoln turned to ask Octavia with a grave whisper.

"In the summer," she said morosely, "two years ago. A month before she started college."

"That's awful," he replied.

Bellamy's ears barely registered his friend speaking; his eyes were gazing out at nothing as he was wrapped up in his thoughts. He blinked back to reality, however much time later, when Octavia stepped forward and turned over her shoulder to face them.

"I'm gonna go check on her," she had said, walking towards the house.

Then Bellamy and Lincoln had retreated to the lounge chairs as they watched the party start up again; the crowd of nosy spectators dispersed and the music's volume thudded and flared from the speakers once more. They sat and they waited, not sure exactly what they were waiting for; for Octavia to return, for Clarke to come back with her, for her to be alright?

Bellamy noticed Lincoln stand up in the corner of his eye and he followed when he turned his head to see Octavia approaching.

She came up to them and said to her brother, "go get the car and pull up in front of the house, I'll get her out and we'll meet you."

So Bellamy shook himself out of his hazy thoughts and focused on the simple action he was tasked with - get the car, get the princess, and get her home.

He didn't remember much of the drive home, just that it seemed to take ages to get back to the beach house. His mind was racing but the car was silent except for Octavia's occasional murmur to Clarke, who was huddled next to her in the backseat.

They finally got back to the house and Octavia wanted to get Clarke wrapped in a blanket on the couch and put a movie on, but she said no, that she just wanted to go to bed, so they all did. Bellamy didn't have a chance to talk to her and ask how she was doing before she disappeared up the stairs and closed the bedroom door shut behind her.

And so here he was, wide awake, unable to sleep, and worried about Clarke. He kept replaying what Octavia had told him and tried to remember the details of the situation at the party where that jackass had almost thrown Clarke into the pool. What did he look like exactly and what was his name? Who was the girl she had been talking to? He turned over onto his stomach and groaned into the pillow, hoping that Clarke was having better luck at falling asleep than him, but probably not.

One, two, three… Bellamy got to two-hundred seventy-four before he lost track and nodded off to sleep.

* * *

Bellamy awoke with a jerk and blinked against the sun peeking over the horizon and blinding his eyes through the open window. He twisted under the covers and deliberated whether to get up and face the day or lounge around in bed for a bit longer. But, his stomach decided for him when it growled hungrily, so he stretched his arms, swung his legs out of bed, and got up. Noticing the state of his hair in the mirror before he left the room, he ran his fingers through the strands till they fell back into place.

His bare feet padded along the cool wood of the banister as he left his room and walked to the stairs, pausing to look up and out of the clerestory windows before grabbing the handrail and stepping down to the first floor.

He reached the last step and turned his head to notice the sun still partially dipped in the bright blue ocean as it's yellow rays mixed with the pink and orange hues along the horizon.

He looked through the glass doors out onto the deck and saw a flash of blonde hair to his right. He reached for the handle that was hollowed into the frame, slid the door open, and stepped onto the golden wood deck.

Clarke was sitting on a bench swing under the covered portion of the deck, one leg tucked under the other - which was flexed so that her bare toes could push off of the deck and rock the swing slightly back and forth.

He wondered how she was feeling after the events of last night. He wondered if he should ask how she's doing. She'd probably been asked that question a million times over the last two years. But he didn't want want to bring it up and make her sad first thing in the morning on a bright, fresh, new day. She probably didn't want to talk about it.

He walked into her line of sight and she turned to face him, smiling gently in greeting, and scooting over so he could sit beside her.

"Morning," he said, sitting down carefully on the creaking wooden swing, pushing his toes off the deck as he'd seen Clarke doing before, only they swung further now since his legs were longer. He smirked at her when she frowned, realizing her foot could no longer reach the floor.

They sat in peaceful silence, gazing out at the long stretch of blue sky over the broad ocean, watching its rippling waves wash over the sand, gulls cawing in the breeze, occasionally dipping down to snatch a fish from the water.

Bellamy was almost about to doze off into a calm reverie when Clarke suddenly spoke beside him.

"Octavia said she told you."

She said it vacantly, like she was commenting on the weather. It wasn't a question, so how was he supposed to answer? There were so many ways he wanted to respond to her, to tell her he was so sorry about her dad, how he knows the pain of losing a parent so young, that he wished she could have a whole summer, even just twenty-four hours, where she wasn't sad.

He sighed and replied with something safe, "Yeah."

"What part did she get to?"

"What part - ?" he grumbled and coughed when his throat went dry.

"Did she say how they found him?" Clarke sounded less casual this time.

"Umm," Bellamy stalled, it wasn't because he didn't know what his sister had told him, in fact he remembered it _exactly_ , but because he wasn't sure where she was going with this. He spoke cautiously, "she said they found him days later, but what - ?"

"We had no clue what had happened, we just thought he was out fishing. The boat went down sometime in the afternoon, but we weren't expecting him home till late, so we had no clue at the time of the accident. My mom called the police at ten and they passed her on to the coast guard, and we went down to the station. Then they told us what happened."

"Clarke, you don't have to - " he started to speak but Clarke cut him off after she'd taken a deep breath.

"He got them to safety on his boat, he had to swim over with the one who didn't have a life jacket, then he went back for the one who was still on board and he drowned saving him. One of them must have used his radio to call the coast guard. It was several hours later that the race realized something was wrong; the boat didn't come to the next checkpoint. The coast guard came in a helicopter out to the site and took the survivors to the hospital but they couldn't recover his body. It took them days to find him." She paused and pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"And then one morning they found him, floating in the water," she turned her chin to face him, "bodies float stomach down, did you know that?"

She waited for his answer, so he shook his head no. Then she blinked, turned her head back to the water, and started speaking methodically, like she was reciting something from a medical journal.

"A cadaver in the water starts to sink as soon as the air in its lungs is replaced with water. The body stays underwater until the bacteria in the gut and chest cavity produce enough gas – methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide – to float it to the surface. This can take days or weeks depending on a lot of different factors. But not all parts of the body inflate the same amount, the torso has the most bacteria, so it bloats more than the head and limbs."

"So, the most buoyant body parts rise first, which means that the head and limbs drag behind the chest and abdomen. But, since arms, legs, and the head can only drape forward from the body, corpses tend to rotate facedown, head and limbs hanging limp in the cold, deep sea."

She took a shaky breath, "So that was how they found him."

"Clarke - " he said softly.

"I didn't actually see him in the water, but the forensic team took pictures. And sometimes, when I'm close to the water and I'm afraid I'll fall in, all I see is that picture of his lifeless body floating on the water."

He thought she might continue speaking, but after waiting a few beats he took in a breath, but then Clarke quickly cut in.

"I can handle myself around water, Dax just caught me off guard," Clarke turned back towards him, defending herself from the reaction she had last night at the party.

Bellamy spoke up immediately after, wanting her to hear what he had to say.

"I know," Bellamy said certainly, "you're too stubborn to be scared of anything." She smiled lightly at him and turned her head back towards the sunrise.

"Clarke," he said softly, a few moments later.

She didn't respond, so he continued, "I'm sorry about your dad."

She leaned her head to rest lightly on his shoulder and he settled back into the swing, pushing back and forth with his foot. And they sat, back in their comfortable silence, and watched as the sun finally rose above the water and lit the sky bright and blue – the hopeful start of a new day.

* * *

 **AN:** Thanks for reading! Please leave a review :) and have a good weekend!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Thanks for waiting, enjoy.

* * *

 _"Clarke," he said softly, a few moments later._

 _She didn't respond, so he continued, "I'm sorry about your dad."_

 _She leaned her head to rest lightly on his shoulder and he settled back into the swing, pushing back and forth with his foot. And they sat, back in their comfortable silence, and watched as the sun finally rose above the water and lit the sky bright and blue – the hopeful start of a new day._

* * *

And so they sat together and gazed out at the vast ocean before them and Bellamy continued to push the chair ever so slightly back and forth. After a while, Clarke moved her head off his shoulder and returned her attention to the ocean and the wispy clouds gathering in the sky overhead. They didn't have to speak, there was so much more said in silence than what could be heard aloud between them; they were happy to be wrapped up in their own minds, reflecting on whatever thought had come to surface at that particular moment.

The deck was hard and cold under his bare feet but the brisk air was quickly being warmed by the sun as it rose in the sky. There was an occasional breeze, rustling the palm trees and brushing through the tall grass covering the sand dunes. It traveled over the water, wafting the crisp ocean air and its salty scent towards them. He calmly breathed in and out and felt the air spreading a sort of tranquility through his joints and muscles, loosening their tension. This is what Bellamy loved about the ocean – that it was just an exponential plane of blue and yet it seemed to make all his worries disappear. It was amazing how the beach had the ability to wipe every distracting thought from his mind and fill it with awe and such peace of mind. He could just stare out at the vast water for hours and still not tire of its hypnotic presence.

After a few minutes he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, her eyes were closed and she was smiling as the rays of sunlight raised from the water to shine on her face. After a while though, she was pulled out of her daze when she heard his rumbling, deep voice beside her.

"So," he said and nudged her shoulder, "princess huh?"

"Ugh, yeah," she grumbled, remembering what Harper had called her, "It was a kid named Finn who first gave me the nickname when I was twelve, but then when the other kids heard him call me that, they turned it into a jibe."

"I like it," he grinned.

"Bellamy," she lamented with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, "you are _not_ going to start calling me that."

" _Princess_ ," he mused, liking the way it sounded. She crossed her arms and shook her head, but he could see the grin she was trying to hide.

"Come on," she said, pushing out of the swing and turning to face him, "Want to help me make breakfast?"

* * *

"Okay," she said, stretching the 'ay' sound, as they entered the kitchen, "First, I need a hair tie." Her hair was so long and thick and messy that it always ended up all over the place. She hummed in consideration and spun around on her heels to look around the countertop. Then, she wandered around and inspected a few cabinets before going to the one by the door. She slid the drawer open and rummaged through receipts, old ChapSticks, dead batteries, and the like, to try and find a stray elastic band.

"Yes!" she said at last, holding up the tiny loop in victory and she gathered her hair to twist it back and forth through the elastic band, forming a ponytail. Once Clarke's hair was sufficiently secured, the next thing they did was put the coffee on, and as Bellamy grabbed two mugs and the creamer from the fridge, Clarke fished around in the cabinets to pull out a large bowl and a frying pan and gathered all the ingredients they had bought yesterday; flour, baking powder, butter, milk, sugar, salt and an egg.

"Alright," he said, coming over to the island to stand next to her and glancing at the items on the countertop, "what are we making?"

"Pancakes," she smiled up at him. He watched as she went behind the stairs to the kitchen pantry and came back with two aprons, silently handing one to him and slipping the other one around her head. He noticed Clarke's apron was a cream color with a pattern of blue seahorses, red lobsters and teal fish – very fitting for their locale. He looked down at the apron he was holding and fanned it out. It was white cotton with two purple seashells at the top, lines curving down the middle to the waist where it flared back out in a pattern of sparkly green scallops – a mermaid apron.

" _What_ is this?" he grumbled.

"An apron," she shrugged innocently.

" _You_ want _me_ to wear _this_?" he asked her incredulously. She nodded with a wide grin on her face. "I don't think so," he said standing straighter, squaring his shoulders and folding his arms in defiance.

"Please," she begged with a smile.

"Not gonna happen," he shook his head.

"Well," she said, stepping backwards and turning to the ingredients on the island, "then you're gonna get real messy."

"How it that - " He started, but was promptly cut off when a cloud of flour flew towards him. He coughed as the bitter powder hit his tongue and sneezed at the particles that'd flown up his nose; he blinked against the powder caking his eyebrows and eyelashes, and he shook his head to dislodge the bits in his hair. He recovered from the impact and met her eyes with his steely glare, frowning angrily at her.

"You're starting a dangerous game, Miss Griffin," he warned, but was taken aback when a cloud of flour dusted his face, _again_.

"But it's so worth it," she said with a devilish grin, quickly grabbing the bag off the counter and shuffling to the other side of the island.

He huffed and threw the apron over his head as he lunged towards her. She managed to escape his grasp the first time, but when he faked left she fell for it and he was able to wrap his arm around her waist and hold her securely against his chest while he groped for the flour bag with his other hand. He finally got a firm grasp on the corner of the bag but Clarke was still clinging to the other end, he tugged and she squirmed against him, trying to escape.

Clarke was the first to notice the tear that was forming at the top of the bag and she watched the trail of flour that escaped like sand as the crack got wider.

"Okay, okay!" she shrieked and stopped struggling, "truce, truce!" But it was too late for Bellamy to release his hold on the bag before it split down the middle and burst into a dense, heavy cloud of bitter powder.

Bellamy freed Clarke from his arm hold so he could rub the flour out of his eyes and she only made the cloud of dust worse when she shook out her hair.

"Whoops," she said innocently, holding what remained of the flour bag and looking down at the mess on the floor.

"Whatever may happen in the future," Bellamy warned her, "just know that you started it." She glared back at him and rolled her eyes in disbelief.

She put him to work sweeping the floor as she salvaged what was left in the bag and what had landed on the counter so they would have enough for the recipe.

Clarke was mixing the dry ingredients together when Bellamy reached up to try and take off the ridiculous mermaid apron, but like a hawk, she caught him out of the corner of her eye and threatened him with an egg if he took it off. He didn't want to risk calling her bluff.

And soon after, with only a few more food-fight threats and a bit more mess, Bellamy was on the stove flipping pancakes as Clarke prepared a fruit salad.

And it was as they were setting the table and cleaning up the kitchen that Lincoln emerged from his bedroom - dragging his feet, and sporting an expression of exhaustion and under-caffination. Clarke went to the cabinet to get a coffee mug for him and he stumbled over to the kitchen, sitting on a stool on the other side of the island. He looked at Bellamy in bewilderment when he got a better view of what the man was wearing.

"Look at what got caught in the net!" Lincoln teased, brightening up at the sight before him. He imitated a wolf whistle and catcalled at him, "Woah Bellamy, you're fillin' out those shells nicely, what size are they? …Sea?" He and Clarke burst into laughter but Bellamy was not impressed, he gave his friends a dirty look. He quickly slipped off the soapy dish gloves he was wearing and reached behind him to pull at the knot on his apron. He got it undone and yanked it over his head, throwing it onto the counter. He grabbed his coffee and grumbled, ' _Lincoln… Clarke… mermaid… stupid_ ,' coming over to sit beside Lincoln on the island. Clarke gave them each a plate and some silverware and moved the food in front of them. She had just gone to find the maple syrup when they heard a pair of feet thumping down the stairs. Octavia appeared in her pjs with a messy ponytail on the top of her head - a few strands fallen out here and there - and shuffled to the kitchen in her slippers.

"Hey," she yawned at the group and sat on the last stool, next to Bellamy. She blinked and rubbed her eyes and looked at the food on the table. "Wow, you made pancakes?" she looked gratefully up at Clarke.

"I helped," Bellamy cut in.

His sister nudged him with her elbow but she smiled and said, "Thanks, bro!"

They sat and ate and drank their coffee, slowly gaining the energy to start the day. They made more coffee, forks and knives clinked against the plates, and the pancake pile quickly disappeared.

"So what do you guys want to do today? We could go into town… chill on the beach…" Clarke threw out suggestions as she sipped her coffee, leaning on the counter.

"Ohh! Beach day!" Octavia said imeddiately, "yes let's do _that_!"

So after breakfast had been cleared away, Clarke laid out the sandwich fixings on the island and they all made themselves a sandwich, throwing them in a cooler with some chips and fruit and lots of water. The girls went upstairs to get changed and came down in tank tops, shorts, and flip flops with their sunglasses resting on their heads. Clarke grabbed four towels and the sunscreen and pronounced them, "ready!"

They all trailed down the stairs and followed Clarke to the garage where she handed an umbrella and blanket to Bellamy and two boogie boards to Octavia. Lincoln carried the cooler. Then they walked along the grass till they made it to the little wooden deck that cut a path through the sand dunes, leading them straight to the ocean, and they stepped onto the warm sand of the beach.

Clarke and Octavia took turns putting sunscreen on the other's back and they spread their towels in the sun and laid down on their stomachs with a magazine under their noses. The boys weren't patient enough for tanning so they threw a frisbee back and forth along the water's edge.

About half an hour later the guys were sitting on the blanket under the umbrella and finishing off the chips and salsa.

"So were you two planning on actually going in the water?" Bellamy asked the girls, now laying on their backs.

"Yeah, eventually," Octavia sighed, "But we need to get a base tan."

"We're just chillin'," Clarke continued.

Bellamy smirked as he formed an idea and turned to whisper it to Lincoln. He held up his finger and they crept towards the girls and waited for the right moment. Finally, they rolled back onto their stomachs.

Clarke blinked twice when the sunshine was suddenly cut off by a dark shadow. She turned to Octavia who frowned and shook her head in confusion. Before she knew it the shadow had disappeared and suddenly she felt the corners of the towel by her feet being lifted up. There was a tug and a jerk and then she and her towel were being dragged along the sand. She heard Octavia shriek beside her and looked over to see her brother pulling her backwards into the damp sand where the shallow tide was slipping in and out. Clarke twisted her neck around to see Lincoln behind her dragging her to the water as well.

"Lincoln!" she hollered, still in a daze, "no, no, stop!"

Suddenly, the cold water washed over her ankles and she felt as the water soaked the towel and slowly crept up the cotton to her stomach. She yelled and laughed as Lincoln tugged at her towel and she heard Octavia screeching along with her.

"No!" Octavia cried, "Not in this bikini, it's Hugo Boss!"

"What's the point of a swimsuit if you don't get it wet?" Bellamy asked incredulously.

A wave came up and washed over Clarke's back, startling her. She flailed her arms, trying to find stable ground in the loose sand. Lincoln yanked her back further though, and she flipped over into the sand sputtering out sea water.

"Bellamy, no!" Clarke looked over to see Bellamy wrestling with Octavia's feet, a firm grip around her ankles.

Clarke got to her knees and stood, then splashed over to help Octavia free herself. She pulled the towel from under Octavia and used it to slap Bellamy on the chest with a wet thwacking sound. He raised his arms to block his attacker, releasing Octavia to splash and scramble in the sand.

"Ugh, boys," Octavia grumbled, standing up next to Clarke. "Whatever may happen in the future," she said in warning, pointing harshly at the men, "Just know that you guys started it." Bellamy gave Clarke a knowing look and she fought to hide her smile. They had said the same thing! _Must be because they're siblings_ , she thought.

"Well, O," Bellamy suggested to his sister, "Now that we're in, we might as well enjoy it."

The girls turned to each other in silent deliberation.

"Fine," Octavia sighed, "But don't get my hair wet."

"Sure, O," Bellamy grinned sarcastically.

They wadded further into the water and watched carefully so they could jump when the waves came over their shoulders. The water was incredible – translucent, and frothing with foam; it felt cool and refreshing, and looked a bright, brilliant turquoise shade, the sun shining on the rippling surface. The group laughed and splashed as they chased each other through the water in a spontaneous game of tag.

"Ahh, my hair!" Octavia had exclaimed at one point when a large wave washed over their heads.

They swam out further but Clarke didn't like that she couldn't touch the bottom, so they moved to shallower water and body surfed to the shore and back, and back again and again.

A while later, Bellamy swam to shore. Shaking the salty water from his hair, he went over to Clarke, who was crouching on the ground, messing with something in the sand. She saw his feet walking towards her and she turned her head up into the sun to greet him.

"Hey," she squinted at the bright light and put her hand out to block the sun.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Look!" she pointed down into the shallow hole she'd dug out of the sand. Inside there was a tiny hermit crab emerging from its shell and tentatively surveying its surroundings. She had formed a kind of habitat for the little guy, including a bit of seaweed and a stick of driftwood. She'd dug another shallow hole for a puddle of water and had lined the circle with the various seashells she'd collected.

"I had two earlier," she told him, "But _this_ one doesn't play nice with others, so the other one ran away."

"Hmm," he grinned back at her, "sound's familiar."

"Yeah, to _me_ ," she nodded insistently.

"What you've got is pretty good," he gestured at the hole, "But, I think we can kick it up a notch."

"I don't remember asking for your opinion," she quipped.

"Neither do I," he agreed with a false seriousness, "The _hermit crab_ asked for my opinion and it wants _me_ to be in charge now, and it wants _you_ to get us a bucket of wet sand."

"Yeah right," she grumbled, rolling her eyes, but she stood and went towards the water with no further comment.

* * *

 **AN:** Posting this as two chapters because either my internet, or FanFiction doesn't like it if I'm copying and pasting something more than 2,000 words.


	6. Chapter 6

Clarke and Bellamy had been hard at work digging and packing sand into what would soon be the foundation of their hermit mansion. They were startled when they heard a voice behind them.

"What are you guys doing?" Octavia asked curiously.

"Building a house for the hermit crab I found," Clarke stood up and smiled at her friend, "Want to help?"

"Sure!" she cheered.

"Come over here," Clarke gestured to the patch of sand where she and Bellamy had used a stick to draw the plan for the house. "So there's a big courtyard here in the middle, with rooms on each side, and the south end opens up to the swimming pool here, and the east side leads to the seaweed maze."

"Wow, fancy," Octavia commented.

"Hey Lincoln!" Bellamy waved over to his friend.

"What?" he yelled back from the water.

"Go find some driftwood! We need like, ten sticks!" Bellamy looked to Clarke and she confirmed with a head nod. Lincoln went off begrudgingly to find the driftwood. Octavia began carving out a balcony above the courtyard and Clarke and Bellamy worked on the facade.

The friends were busy at work when Bellamy heard a roar in the distance, something mechanical revving its engine, and he and the others turned their heads to see three guys approaching on four-wheelers, kicking up a dust of sand behind them. There was one in the lead, wearing all black with a dark helmet covering his face. They came closer, but the lead one didn't slow down, instead he came right up to them and then braked and skidded sideways, kicking up another wave of sand. The other two stopped further back and idled their engines, taking off their helmets and looking to their leader for further instruction.

The guy took his helmet off and flipped his hair back, looking between the group with hard eyes and a scowl.

"So it's true," the guy said, turning his beady eyes on Clarke, "the princess is back in town. Can't really say that anyone's glad to see you again, but welcome all the same."

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly at him.

"Who're you?" Octavia asked, standing up to defend her friend.

"Who am _I_?" he asked surprised before bursting into a laugh. "Oh, clearly you're not from around here, are you?" The girls glared at him and Bellamy's eyes narrowed.

"Princess, I can't believe you didn't tell you friends about me," He placed his hand over his heart dramatically, "I'm hurt." He looked expectantly at her but when she continued to stand silent with her arms crossed, he cleared his throat and began, "Well then, allow me."

"I'm John Murphy," he grinned and jabbed his thumb behind him, "That's Connor and Sterling. I think you'll realize soon that I'm kind of a big deal around here." Bellamy clenched his jaw and exchanged a look with Lincoln. "Princess, aren't you going to introduce your friends?"

She grumbled and pointed to her friends, "Lincoln… Bellamy… and Octavia."

"Well it is very nice to meet you," he smirked at them.

"Same," Octavia replied.

Murphy looked back to his boys and nodded at them. "We'll get out of here and let you continue your day, you want a beer?" he asked them, eyebrows raised. Without waiting for a response he turned to the cooler sitting on the back of the four-wheeler and popped the lid open, pulling out a dripping can of beer and tossing it towards them. Bellamy caught it reflexively.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you around," he said, pulling his helmet over his head and revving the engine. "Bye, Princess," he said and winked at her before he pulled down his visor and zoomed away.

"So I guess that's the other guy we have to watch out for," Octavia pondered.

"Yup," Clarke said.

* * *

 **Sunday afternoon**

"Okay, Jasper texted me, they just got off the freeway," Clarke said after she checked her phone that she'd left charging on the counter.

"Great!" Octavia called from the couch. Clarke went back to the blender where she was making strawberry margaritas.

"Hopefully they'll be here in time for dinner," Bellamy said as he turned a page in his book, stretched out on the couch.

"Well, we can always push dinner back and hour," Clarke suggested. He shook his head.

"No, we can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm hungry," he insisted.

"Why don't you eat something now?" she challenged him, "Just make a snack."

"Will _you_ make me a snack?"

"No," she shook her head.

"You're already in the kitchen - " he tried.

"Nope."

"But I really don't want to get up," he groaned dramatically, "I'm too tired."

"How can you be tired? We've barely done anything today!" she shouted.

"Ugh, forget it, there's nothing to eat anyway," he sighed. She thought, _Is he serious?_

" _Really_? Did you look in the pantry?"

"Yes." _He's messing with me_ , she thought.

"Did you look in the fridge?"

"Yes." Now she was bristling. Was he just doing this to get her worked up? She was not going to play this game.

"That's too bad," Clarke shrugged and went back to her spot next to Octavia, passing her one of the margaritas.

"Hey, Octavia," Bellamy called sweetly.

"Nope," his sister said immediately.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"There is no way I'm getting up to make you a snack, you're twenty-five, make your own damn food!" He frowned.

"Well jokes on you," he said, groaning and making a show of standing up. He walked over to the kitchen, "I was going to ask if you wanted something from the fridge."

"In fact I do," she didn't look up from her magazine, "why don't you cut up that pineapple we got this morning. Clarke, you want some?"

"Sure, thanks Bellamy!" she called. He threw his head back and groaned, grabbing a knife from the drawer and opening the fridge door.

* * *

The sun had started to set and the heat became bearable enough for them to sit outside on the deck. They were eating chips and salsa, waiting for the coals in the grill to simmer down so they could barbeque, when a car came down the road and pulled into the driveway.

"Oh, that must be Jasper and Monty," Clarke said, pushing out of her chair and setting her glass down. They all got up and leaned over the railing.

"Hello Arcadia!" Jasper yelled with arms wide open. Monty came out of the passenger seat and waved to them.

"Hey, who invited the Booze Brothers?!" Octavia shouted down to the pair.

Clarke rushed back in the house and Bellamy followed her down the stairs to meet the boys outside.

"Clarke!" Jasper put down his bag and jogged over to give her a bear hug. "Oh, I missed seeing your beautiful face!"

"Hey, Jasper," she said over his shoulder, "I missed you too."

"Bellamy!" Jasper suddenly released his hold on her and flung himself at Bellamy, who was not prepared for the blow.

"Hey, Clarke," Monty came to greet her, "I'll try and be a little less obnoxious."

"Monty," she smiled, joining him in a hug.

They each grabbed a bag and walked over to the entry door and Jasper was taken aback.

"Uh, do we have to carry the coolers up the stairs?" he asked.

"No," Clarke laughed, "Don't worry, we've got a cargo lift."

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"You'll see," she smiled.

The four went back to the car to get the coolers and they carried them in pairs, following Clarke round the other side of the house. Bellamy grunted lifting the cooler onto the lift platform. "We need all this alcohol?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Monty nodded confidently.

"Ha, that's just the Jello shots," Jasper added. Clarke closed the door and pressed a button raising the cooler up to the deck so they could easily wheel it inside.

* * *

"And then I said to her… 'I'm no jockey, but I'm a great ride!'" Jasper ended his story. A few of them cracked up with laughter and the others groaned at him. They were all sitting on the deck after their barbeque, watching the sun slip down into the water.

"So, how do you know each other?" Lincoln asked, looking between Jasper and Monty.

"Well," Jasper began, sitting forward in his seat. "We," he said, indicating between Monty and himself, "Have been friends since elementary."

"Oh I remember the day some weird kid came up to me and asked if I wanted to trade Pokémon cards," Monty reminisced.

"And, Clarke," Jasper continued, stretching her name dramatically, "We met in high school… oh the nostalgia!"

"Wait," Bellamy sat up and pointed to the boys, "You two were on the robotics team, weren't you?" They nodded.

"It's seems we haven't fully outgrown our stereotypes," said Monty.

"But what team was Clarke on?" Jasper quizzed him.

"Both," she grinned and they laughed.

"Sorry, that came out wrong," he shook his head, "what I meant was – what organization was Clarke a part of?"

Bellamy turned to Clarke and squinted his eyes and hummed in thought. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

"Art!" he said finally.

"Art was one of them," said cheekily, "I was in two clubs. What's the other one?"

"Ooo," there was an uproar among the others.

Bellamy went back to deliberating and he mumbled, "Choir… dance… volleyball… not softball… not tennis… golf, maybe… I don't think it was theater… it definitely wasn't band…"

"Ha!" Jasper blurted, "that would've been a disaster."

"Hey?" Clarke asked him, mildly offended.

"Oh come on Clarke, it's impossible to imagine you playing an instrument, let alone having the coordination required to march across the field in time."

"I could've been in the pit!"

"What's the pit?" Bellamy was puzzled.

"They're on the sideline in front of the drum major, it's mostly marimbas and pianos, base drums, you know the instruments that don't march," Monty explained.

"I could've done that," she rebuffed.

"But would you be able to read music for two hands?" Jasper shot back.

Clarke sight in defeat, "no, probably not."

"Debate!" Bellamy shouted out. The others turned to look at Bellamy then they turned back to look at Clarke expectantly.

"Did I get it?" he smirked widely at Clarke.

"Yeah," she nodded, grinning.

"Of course it would be debate," Bellamy rolled his eyes, "It's _you_ , after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Please, all you do is argue."

"No I don't!" she retorted.

"You're doing it right now!" he persisted.

"Do we need to separate them?" Jasper leaned in and whispered to Octavia.

"Just give it a minute," she sighed.

* * *

 **AN:** Please review and let me know what you think. Special thanks to **Kasey Write It** , **bellarke and linctavia** , **heidi1245401** , a guest, **SamicaWrites** , and **livelovolaughsmile** for reviewing the last chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Uploaded as two chapters. Thank you for reading! Welcome if you're new, and for those that were waiting, thank you for coming back! (longer **AN** at bottom)

* * *

"Well I was _good_ at debate," she defended.

"Oh I'm sure you were, Princess," he teased her.

"Princess?" Monty whispered to Octavia, puzzled by the new nickname, and she shrugged.

"I won the Lincoln-Douglass debate at the state tournament," Clarke continued.

"I feel bad for the other team," he mumbled.

" _I_ feel bad for-"

"Wait, wait guys!" Jasper said, interrupting their bickering. He grinned and got everyone's attention, turning to Bellamy with a sly smile, "what club was _Bellamy_ in in high school?"

"Oh yeah," Octavia snickered, "Bellamy was a total nerd."

"Don't give it away," he urged his sister.

"Track?" Clarke guessed. Bellamy shook his head.

"FFA?"

"No."

"Orchestra?" Monty asked.

"I could see that," Lincoln nodded at Bellamy.

"Nope," he smiled and shook his head.

Clarke grew frustrated as the time carried on and she couldn't determine an answer. Jasper rattled through all the sports teams, football, basketball, baseball, even swim.

"Latin club," Clarke said confidently.

"We didn't have one," he smirked.

"Well what else is there?" she barked at him.

"HOSA?" Monty added. Bellamy shook his head.

"Ugh," Clark groaned in defeat, "Okay, I give up."  
"Really princess?" he asked in mock disappointment. She glared at him and mouthed, _don't call me that_.

"Well what is it, Bellamy?" Jasper asked at last.

"AcaDec," he smirked.

"Otherwise known as the Octathlon," Octavia cheered.

They all roared in exasperation.

"Yeah, an academic club," Monty nodded, "that makes sense."

"Bellamy, you were just as nerdy as we were in the robotics club!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Senior year, we won the state championship," Bellamy smirked pointedly at Clarke.

"And guess what the theme was?" Octavia teased.

"No more guessing games!" the group responded immediately. Octavia was taken aback by their sudden outburst, but Bellamy cracked a smile and soon they all burst into laughter.

"Another round?" Monty asked them as he stood, gesturing to their empty glasses.

"Yeah," a few of them nodded and Monty grabbed their glasses, slipping through the door into the house.

By now, night had fallen and Clarke raised her head to find the moon high in the sky, a few stars shining bright against the lights from the road. The tide had come in, the waves were calm, and the ocean was now a deep, dark blue. It might have seemed cold and uninviting, but with the light of the moon and the warmth of summer still radiating from the earth, Clarke found the water tranquil and somewhat alluring. Even after her father's accident, she still felt a pull to the ocean.

There was a line spoken by John F. Kennedy that her dad really liked and he would say all the time. She heard his voice in her head, ' _We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going back from whence we came_.'

She was probably six or seven when she asked _, 'Daddy, why are we tied to the ocean?'_

 _'Because kiddo, we and the ocean have something in common.'_

 _'What is it?'_

 _'Salt.'_

"Clarke."

 _'Salt?' she asked, confused._

"Earth to Clarke."

 _'Salt,' he nodded with a smile._

"Clarke!" a voice disrupted her thoughts and she saw Monty in front of her, looking concerned, trying to hand her a drink.

"Oh," she took the glass from him and tried to give a reassuring smile, "thanks Monty."

"You okay?" Octavia leaned towards her to ask quietly.

"Yeah," Clarke nodded, hoping that would be enough to stop her questioning.

Luckily Jasper saved her when he remembered the topic of the group's earlier conversation. "Wait," he cocked his head, "did I finish the story?"

"Uh you met Clarke in high school," Lincoln recapped, "But how do you know Bellamy and Octavia?"

"Oh, yeah," Jasper got back on board, "We met them freshman year. Monty and I spent some time at Caltech before we got kicked out. Well, not really Bellamy since he moved to Arlington, but we went up to San Jose every weekend to party with Clarke and Octavia."

"And boy did we," Octavia grinned and exchanged a look with Clarke.

"How'd you get kicked out of Caltech?" Bellamy wondered.

"Well, we kind of started a business in the back of the botany lab and… word spread to the straight-laced and we got busted."

"It's lucky we didn't get arrested," Monty mumbled.

"So Lincoln, how do you know these guys?" Jasper asked curiously. Lincoln flashed his eyes at Bellamy and the others looked between the two in curiosity.

"Uh, well," Lincoln cleared his throat, "that's an interesting question."

"It's a long story," Bellamy said, obviously wanting to end the conversation.

"Okay," Monty nodded, "I'm listening."

"Yeah, let's hear it," Jasper insisted.

"Um," Octavia hummed nervously, looking to her brother, "maybe another time." Jasper was confused.

"What - "

"Hey Jas," Clarke interrupted, sensing the unease, "why don't you tell them about the time we went to Mount Weather and you were shot by an arrow."

"What?" Octavia gasped in disbelief.

"Haha, yeah," Jasper said, recalling the memory. Bellamy and Lincoln sent her a quick 'thank you' glance. "It was a summer camp internship that this geological and meteorology lab put on."

"You had to apply and write an essay for it and everything," Clarke added in.

"In the morning we did all this science stuff with the technicians and then, in the afternoon we'd do 'team building' activities!" Jasper finished with a false bravado.

"So Thursday we did archery and _somebody_ didn't see me on the range before they shot their arrow."

"You were nowhere near me," Monty defended.

"And you're a lousy shot," Jasper said, "I couldn't do the obstacle course on the last day, the Agro team could've won the championship!"

"But anyway," Jasper slouched back into his chair, "now I've got a cool scar to show the ladies, so I like to think I won in the end."

"Sure," Monty said and the other guys sent Jasper an expression that said the same.

"So, thanks to Monty," Clarke smirked, "the Alpha team won first place." The others laughed.

Jasper stood up and swayed a bit on his feet. "Whoa, dizzy! This is last call guys, the bartender's wasted. Anyone want anything?" There was a chorus of 'nah' and 'no thanks' and Jasper stumbled back into the house with a loud, "goodnight!"

A few moments later, Clarke got up, brushing her hands on the sides of her shorts, "I'm gonna go check on him, then I'm going to bed, goodnight guys."

"Goodnight," they replied. Bellamy watched her collect a few dishes and go inside. He waited a few minutes for Lincoln, Octavia, and Monty to start up a conversation and then he got up to leave as well, his sister giving him a warm smile.

Once he slid the door shut, he turned to find Clarke standing in the kitchen, arms crossed, a look of concentration on her face, though she seemed to be staring at nothing.

"Clarke," he called to her softly. When she didn't reply he came up to her and reached for her arm.

"Hmm," she turned to face him.

"You okay?" he asked her, eyebrows pinched in concern.

"Oh, yeah," she attempted a smile, "just tired."

"Okay," he said, even though he didn't believe her.

"Goodnight Bellamy," she turned her head and walked away, going up the stairs.

"Night," he mumbled in reply, sighed, and went back outside.

* * *

The next morning, Bellamy woke to gulls cawing and waves crashing on the shore. He sat up in bed and held his head, trying to gauge how bad his hangover was. Walking downstairs, he wasn't surprised to see that Clarke was the only one awake. She was collecting dirty dishes and empty glasses from around the house and putting them in the dishwasher.

"Morning," he said and she turned to give him a smile.

"You shouldn't be doing that," he said to her, shaking his head.

"What?" she asked sarcastically, grabbing a plate, "loading the dishwasher?"

"Cleaning up after everyone," he said, "they should be doing it."

"I was up," she shrugged, "I don't mind."

He sighed and looked around the kitchen for more dishes, but it looked pretty clean. He did notice that the coffeemaker was not, in fact, making coffee.

"Coffee?" he asked her. She nodded and said 'yeah,' so he took two mugs from the cabinet and went searching for a filter and the grounds.

Once the coffee was on, he stepped outside to see the sunrise and found the scattered remains of their barbeque last night. He went back and forth, collecting a few dishes and bringing them inside, setting them on the counter and helping Clarke load the dishwasher. They worked in silence until the dishwasher was full, then Bellamy went to pour the coffee.

Clarke yawned and left the kitchen, going to sit crisscross on the sofa, pencil in hand, sketchbook in lap. Bellamy found the newspaper he'd grabbed when they went to the store yesterday and sat on the couch across the room from her.

As he was reading about the draughts in California and the serious environmental and economic impacts, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Pretending to continue reading, he peered over the top of the newspaper to see what Clarke was up to. Every now and then she would look up from her sketchbook, stealing a quick glance at him before going back to her drawing.

"What're you drawing?" he asked, getting her attention by the break in silence.

"Hmm?" she looked up at him, eyebrows raised.

"What're you drawing?" he repeated.

She tried to keep a blank face but he noticed her eyes widen slightly and his mouth split into a grin.

"Nothing," she shrugged and went back to her work.

"Well for nothing," he goaded her, "you've been working on it for quite a while, Griffin."

She looked up again, this time with a scowl on her face. "It's nothing, _Blake_."

He thought he had a pretty good guess at what it was, but he wasn't gonna ask again – it was too early to start bickering. So he just smiled and shook his head, and went back to his paper, turning the page to the sports section.

* * *

 **AN:** I am so, so sorry it took this long to upload another chapter! We all have lives and some are writers as well so I hope you understand! If you really want to know where I've been for the past 7 months, I can elaborate, lol. If I was going to post a new chapter, I wanted it to have substance and quality, so I hope this is up to standard and that you liked reading it.

Thank you again for reading! Please leave a review.

(Uploaded as two chapters because my internet can't handle more than 2,000 words at once.)


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** This is part 2, please read the previous chapter, part 1, first. Uploaded as two chapters. Thank you for reading! Welcome if you're new, and for those that were waiting, thank you for coming back! (longer **AN** at bottom of previous chapter)

* * *

Within the hour, the others emerged from their rooms with tired eyes and aching heads. Octavia came down the stairs grumbling and fell down on the couch next to Clarke – who greeted her friend and swiftly shut her sketchbook – and Bellamy got up to put the coffee on again.

"No pancakes this time?" Lincoln yawned, taking his mug from Bellamy.

"Pancakes?" Jasper perked up from his spot on the couch. Clarke shook her head in apology.

"Nope," Bellamy answered.

"Aww," Octavia sighed.

"You lot left a mess outside last night," he chastised them, "I told Clarke she's not allowed to clean up after you and also make you food. So, no pancakes."

"I tried," Clarke grumbled, "but he confiscated the spatula."

"Apologize to Clarke," Bellamy told them.

"Sorry Clarke," the gang said in unison.

"And clean up after yourselves," he added.

"Yes, Dad," Jasper groaned.

"Such an older brother," Octavia rolled her eyes.

"So, can we have pancakes now?" Monty asked.

"No," Bellamy answered.

"I'll do it," Jasper offered.

"It's too late now," Clarke lamented, sinking into the couch in defeat.

"I'll help," Octavia added.

"No," Clarke shook her head, "there's no more mix."

"What?"

"There was an accident," she glared at Bellamy, "it couldn't be salvaged this time."

Bellamy only smirked at her, showing no signs of remorse.

"There's bacon and eggs though," she added, perking up.

"Yeah but all this talk of pancakes has made me really want them now," Jasper said. The others vocalized their agreement.

"Oh," Clarke sat up, "we could go into town and eat at Amy's! They have the best chocolate chip pancakes."

"Is that acceptable to you?" Octavia raised her eyebrows, looking at her brother.

"Yes," he nodded.

"So can I have the spatula now?" Clarke asked him.

"No."

* * *

And so they left the house – Clarke, Jasper, and Monty in one car and Bellamy, Lincoln, and Octavia in the Jeep.

Driving back along the coast, the sunrise casting bright rays onto the water. It was still early, so the shore was only occupied by the occasional jogger or dog walker. Looking carefully, in the distance they could see surfers skirting along the waves.

The beach houses on the other side of the road began to break up as they approached the marshy outskirts of the bay.

"Clarke, do you have a boat?" Monty asked Clarke as they drove past the marina. There were a multitude of boats resting in the water, all crowded together, one after the other.

"Oh yeah," she said, "not one of those though, a little one."

The large, extravagant yachts, houseboats, and bowriders eventually gave way to sailboats of all shapes and sizes and the smaller runabouts, jets, and skiffs.

"Ooo we could go fishing!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Yeah, we can go out and fish," she said, "but I like going to the pier better than deep sea fishing."

And as they continued their drive to the diner, Clarke told them the story of the first time her father took her fishing – she insisted on throwing the fish back in the water and was so upset when a fish swallowed the hook and her dad had to perform 'emergency surgery,' as she called it.

Driving north through the town, Jasper and Monty got another look at Arcadia as Clarke pointed out the local landmarks and buildings. "That's the Redwood Brewing Co. on the right… there's the Fine Arts Center…Paul's Pizza...oh Monty, turn left here, we're going to park at the co-op."

Bellamy, Lincoln, and Octavia arrived shortly after and the gang regrouped, following Clarke down the sidewalk towards the Plaza.

The Plaza was a large, stone square –essentially the center of the town, with a hodgepodge of buildings surrounding it on all sides. They were mainly Victorian era and other historical restorations, but there were a few modern additions here and there.

Bellamy looked around the square at the antiquated architecture, noticing the wide porches, impressive stonework, and ornate designs.

He smirked, remembering a conversation they'd had with Lincoln in the car on their drive from Sacramento to Arcadia.

…

"So, what's Arcadia like?" Octavia asked Clarke from the backseat.

"Oh it's beautiful," she reminisced, "and it's not just because of the beach, the town is beautiful too – the buildings are all really interesting, I can't wait for you guys to see it!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, Arcadia is actually known for its Victorian era houses and historical building preservation."

"That's pretty cool," Lincoln perked up.

"I can give you guys a tour in town," Clarke offered, "my dad was an engineer so he knew a little about architecture, but he also loved this town and loved learning about its history, so he knew a lot about all the buildings here."

"Well apparently, Lincoln knows about architecture too," Bellamy smirked at his friend in the rearview mirror, recalling the conversation they'd had with Miller at the baseball field.

"Oh really?" Clarke and Octavia joined in the teasing.

"Yeah, yeah," Lincoln gave in, "I had to take a class on the architecture of Louisiana for an art credit, okay? And now Bellamy," he glared at his friend, "thinks I'm an expert."

"Let's hear it then?" Octavia challenged.

"Yeah Lincoln, what do you know about the Victorian era?" Clarke asked, honestly curious to know.

"Ok I'll try. Give me a minute," he conceded, "let me see what I remember."

"Gotta get into lecture mode?" Bellamy retorted.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, but he cleared his throat and began, "Victorian architecture is actually a series of architectural revival styles that were popular around the 19th century…"

"Are we there yet?" Bellamy leaned over and whispered into Clarke's ear. She shook her head with a grin and shoved him away so she could listen.

"There are really only eight distinct styles but there's still a bunch of secondary styles…"

They all interrupted him with a loud groan.

"But I won't list them," he quickly reassured them, "to sum it up, the Victorian era could be considered an 'anything goes' movement. It drew from other architectural styles like Gothic… French…Italian…Tudor... even Egyptian."

"So what makes it Victorian then?" Octavia asked.

"There are several distinct features of Victorian architecture…a large porch with spindles and brackets…two to three stories…a wood or stone exterior…decorative trim... and really vibrant colors."

"There's actually a lot of Victorian buildings in California," he continued, "like the Carson Mansion in Eureka…"

"Never heard of it," Bellamy shook his head.

"Steinbeck's house in Salinas?"

"Nope," Octavia responded.

"What about… the 'Painted Ladies' in San Francisco?"

"Still no," Bellamy said.

"Okay uh… the house from Full House?! Please tell me one of you knows the Full House house?"

"Oh yeah," they all nodded in recognition.

"Aw, I like that house," Octavia added.

"Is that it, professor?" Bellamy asked him.

"Yep, that's it. Class dismissed."

The others cheered and gave him a short round of applause.

"Maybe _you_ should give the tour Lincoln," Clarke said to him.

…

At Amy's Diner, the young hostess recognized Clarke and chatted with her as she led the group to a large booth in the back. The menu was loaded with breakfast items, which they served all day, along with burgers and sandwiches, greasy comfort food, and their extensive list of deserts.

"So, what's there to do in town Clarke?" Monty asked her as they started on their pancakes.

"Well there's the Plaza," she gestured outside to the square. "They have shopping...an art gallery…and a library," she flashed her eyes at Bellamy. "And there's Main Street…and the park, they usually have something going on in the summer for the tourists…"

"Clarke! Is that you?" They turned their heads at the shrill noise to see two girls walking towards their table. Bellamy grinned at the 'deer-in-the-headlights' expression that Clarke had on once she turned to see who it was.

"Hey, Clarke, how are you? We haven't seen you in soooo long," they spoke quickly but paused to take a breath and look around the table, ending with Bellamy and Lincoln and keeping their eyes on them.

"Who are your friends?" one asked, not taking her eyes off of Lincoln.

"Uh, guys this is Gina and Nadia," she introduced the girls to her friends, "and this is Octavia, Monty, Jasper, Bellamy, and Lincoln."

"Hi," Jasper said to them with a small wave.

"Hi," Gina replied with a wide smile.

"Well, maybe we'll see you at the block party later," Nadia winked at Lincoln as she flipped her hair and turned to leave with Gina beside her.

"Yes, you will," Jasper mumbled.

"Clarke!" Octavia kicked her under the table, getting her friend's attention, "why didn't you tell me there was a party today?!"

"Oops," she shrugged guiltily, "sorry O, I didn't even think about it, I don't usually go to the block party because my d – " she froze on the syllable and then looked down at the table. "Because my dad and I used to do something else…" she mumbled, "kind of a tradition I guess… but we can go."

"Are you sure?" Octavia asked her friend with soft eyes.

"Yeah," Clarke nodded with a small smile and looked away.

"Okay," Octavia said, only half convinced, and then the table was silent for a moment.

"Oh no!" Octavia gasped, getting the attention off Clarke, "what am I gonna wear?!" She turned to her friend, "what's the dress code?"

"Oh it's casual," Clarke dismissed.

"Got it – dresses. We need summer dresses," Octavia insisted.

"Oh why do I even bother?" Clarke sighed, propping her head on her hand.

"I ask myself that every day," Bellamy said to her.

"Clarke, we have to go shopping!" Octavia was practically bouncing in her seat, "what time's the party?"

"Uh, four probably," she answered, unsure.

"Four? That only gives us - " Octavia counted the time in her head, "five hours to get ready!"

"Is that not enough time?" Bellamy asked sarcastically.

"No!" she insisted, "not only do we need to find a dress for me, we need to find one for Clarke, so we need to go shopping!"

" _Now_!" she insisted, grabbing Clarke's hand, trying to pull her out of the booth.

"Well…I," Clarke stammered, "I was - "

"What?" Octavia paused. "I saw what you packed, and I did not see a dress. We have to get you a cute dress!"

"I don't - " she shook her head.

"You don't want to go shopping?" Octavia gasped in disbelief, dropping Clarke's hand, "with your best friend?"

"No I do, it's just…" she glanced at Bellamy, "I was gonna - "

"Come on Clarke!" Octavia begged, grabbing her arm and tugging her out of the booth, "it'll be fun!"

"Bellamy," Clarke spoke hurriedly, turning to him as Octavia pulled her away, "I was gonna show you the library, I thought you'd be interested in the town's history, it's in the Plaza on the corner of Tripoli and Samoa, say hi to Ms. B for me!" And the bell rang as the door closed behind her.

Jasper gasped dramatically and turned to the other guys still sitting in the booth, "What are _we_ gonna wear to the party?"

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** If you're new, welcome and thanks for reading! If you're back after **over a year** of waiting for an update, thank you so much for coming back to the story! I really hope you enjoy the update!

* * *

 _"Come on Clarke!" Octavia begged, grabbing her arm and tugging her out of the booth, "it'll be fun!"_

 _"Bellamy," Clarke spoke hurriedly, turning to him as Octavia pulled her away, "I was gonna show you the library, I thought you'd be interested in the town's history, it's in the Plaza on the corner of Tripoli and Samoa, say hi to Ms. B for me!" And the bell rang as the door closed behind her._

 _Jasper gasped dramatically and turned to the other guys still sitting in the booth, "What are we gonna wear to the party?"_

* * *

The guys decided to split up; Jasper stayed behind at the diner when he'd noticed a beautiful slice of chocolate cake on a table next to a delicious looking lady, Lincoln and Monty went in one of the cars back to the beach house, and Bellamy left in search of the library.

He only had to walk a few blocks before he was standing at the corner of Tripoli and Samoa, in front of a large, rustic, wood building. It was clearly Victorian, Bellamy smirked to himself. Above him, the word 'LIBRARY' was painted in gold letters on an old green sign. The entry was offset from the corner and enclosed by a wide porch made of turned wood balusters and columns with the most intricate carvings. The second and third story had simple cross windows separated byfluted pilasters with square capitals. On the roof, the attic - placed within a decorative, balustradeparapet - sat above a decorative frieze that wrapped around the exterior.

As Bellamy stepped onto the creaking, old porch, he noticed how worn and cracked the wood had become since the time it was built - over a century ago. This building had been standing since the 1890s and he wondered at its history; how many people had stepped through these doors, and who were they? How long had the books been resting here, and where did they come from?

Reaching the entrance, Bellamy turned the tarnished brass knob and opened the door. A tiny bell rang overhead as he stepped inside the library. To his right there was a large wooden desk with a green banker's lamp, covered in piles of books and papers. On the left was a tiny alcove with old, worn furniture all pushed together to fit into the small space. In front of him was only a glimpse at the stacks (shelves of books) contained within the large athenaeum. And hanging above him was a wooden sign, carved with the Latin phrase 'ASCENDE SUPERIUS.'

"Just a moment!" he heard a voice call from somewhere inside, but he couldn't see anyone. He stepped over to the desk and scanned the titles of a pile of books sitting there:

Blackwood's Magazine 1859, Strickland's Stories from History, The Still Small Voice by Pardington, Extract's from Chordal's Letters, The Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold.

"Hello dear, welcome to the library!" a warm voice called, and Bellamy looked up to see an animated, bright, eccentric, old woman with wispy hair and a wide smile. As she got closer, she frowned, and her eyebrows drew closer together, "Oh, do I know you dear? I'm afraid I don't recognize you. You kids all go off to university and by the time you come home you've grown three inches taller! I can't keep up!"

"No, don't worry," he was quick to reassure her. "Actually, we haven't met before," he said holding out his hand to her, "I'm Bellamy, I'm a friend of Clarke Griffin."

"Oh Clarke!" she brightened in recognition and reached out to take his hand, "She's here?"

"Yes she is, she brought some of her friends with her to Arcadia for the summer."

"Well Bellamy," she said, grasping his hand lightly between her own, "We may only be meeting now, but you look very familiar. So familiar I'd swear I'd seen you before. Is this your first time visiting?"

"Yes," he smiled.

"Well then," she released his hand to open hers wide, "Welcome Bellamy! Welcome to Arcadia! My name is Beverly, but everyone calls me Ms. B."

"It's nice to meet you," he replied, smiling, "and Clarke told me to say hello for her."

"Oh, I'm so glad she's come back." Her smile faltered, "bless her and her mother, it was a terrible thing that happened to her father." He nodded solemnly in agreement.

"But, where is she? Why didn't she come with you?"

"She meant to come, but my sister dragged her away to go shopping."

"Oh that's alright, I'm always here, whenever she wants to come."

"I decided I'd come check out the library for myself."

"Oh, well then dear, let me give you the tour!" She opened her arms again and began leading him down the corridor between the tall stacks of books, gesturing to her left and right.

"Here we have our old collections, there are the more recent ones. I'm sorry It's such a mess. It's been like this since the earthquake last month, it knocked about half the books off the shelves. I'm trying to get my grandson to help reshelf everything, but he doesn't understand the importance of the Dewey Decimal system!"

They came to a narrow stair almost hidden between the large shelves, "Now on the second floor is where I live, the third floor is for our archives, and then the attic of course." She looked around at the shelves wistfully, "there are so many treasures you can find here, if you take the time to look."

She turned to him, "Well dear, shall I leave you to explore?"

"Actually, Clarke thinks I'd be interested in the history of the town."

"Oh yes, yes," she said, leading him down an aisle between the shelves, "that is a very interesting topic." She reached the shelf she was looking for and ran her hand across the titles, before pausing in thought. "Oh, I know what I'll do," She pulled a book off the shelf and handed it to him. "I'll start you off with this."

"Clarke is very thoughtful, she's always appreciated listening to my sage wisdom. But why tell you the town's history when you can read it for yourself? I find that much more enjoyable." She winked at him. "And I won't be giving you anymore books. Read this one and see where it takes you, you may take an interest to something specific. Researching is part of the fun! And, it means you'll have to come back." She smiled at him. They both heard the bell ding at the entrance.

"Hi Ms. B!" he heard a voice and recognized it immediately.

"Oh Clarke, dear!" Ms. B called as Bellamy followed her back down the corridor, and they saw Clarke and Octavia standing by the desk. "So wonderful to see you!" the librarian gave Clarke a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"This is my friend Octavia," she introduced his sister to the librarian.

"Great to meet you Octavia, welcome to Arcadia," she said, "oh Clarke I'm so glad you brought your friends, what a delight."

"Today we just came in to say hi and pick up Bellamy, we have to go home and get ready for the block party."

"Oh that's alright dear, you can come say hello whenever you want to."

Clarke turned to smile up at Bellamy. "Do you like it?" she asked him, "the library?"

"Oh yeah," Bellamy nodded and turned to smile at Ms. B, "thank you for showing me around, it's fantastic."

"Oh, you're welcome, dear," she gave him a warm smile before turning to address the three of them. "Now Clarke, I know I'll be seeing you again. Bellamy, I _hope_ I'll be seeing you again. And Octavia, you are more than welcome back as well."

"Bye Ms. B," Clarke called as she followed Bellamy out the door, "We'll be back!" But, she didn't make it very far before she bumped into Bellamy, who had run into someone at the door trying to enter.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" It was Murphy. He grumbled as he pushed past Bellamy and the girls to get inside.

"What's _his_ problem?" Octavia mumbled once they'd closed the door behind them.

Clarke just shrugged, "Everyone apparently."

* * *

When the three returned home, they found Lincoln and Monty in the living room, the former lounging on the couch, the later on the ground by the tv surrounded by cables.

Clarke looked down at him puzzled, "Monty what are you doing?"

"Setting up the Xbox," he said as simply as if he'd said he was brushing his teeth.

Bellamy looked around the large room, "Where's Jasper?"

Monty shrugged, "We left him at the diner, he said something about chocolate cake."

"He texted later to say that he and some girl called Maya would meet up with us at the party," Lincoln added.

"Okay," Octavia shrieked, holding up the shopping bags, "time to get ready!" She walked past the living room to the stairs and Clarke followed her shortly.

"But isn't there still three hours 'til the party starts?" Lincoln asked confused.

"I don't know man," Bellamy sighed exacerbated, "girls take a long time to get ready."

"It's _girl time_ ," Monty explained, " _girl time_ is different from _boy time_. Time is relative."

For the next three hours, _boy time_ was spent setting up the Xbox, arguing on what game to play first, and then playing several campaigns in COD. _Girl time_ was spent showering (and shaving), doing hair and makeup, and picking out accessories. At the end of _girl time_ , Clarke and Octavia smiled as they stood in front of the bathroom's full-length mirror. Clarke wore a white eyelet dress with a few pieces of bright neon jewelry, and Octavia wore an embroidered babydoll dress with lace-up sandals and a choker. As the girls went downstairs, about ready to go, they discovered that the last few minutes of _boy time_ involved pausing the game, throwing on clothes, and double checking their hair in the mirror.

* * *

The community block party was held at the park in the center of town, on the street adjacent to the Plaza. It was an annual event to kick off the summer by eating, dancing, and socializing with the neighbors. There were lots of food trucks, treats like snow cones, drinks from local breweries, and it included entertainment for all ages – from bounce houses to bingo games.

The party of five arrived at the block party at exactly the right time according to Octavia, early enough that they hadn't missed anything, but late enough that there were already a good amount of guests there to mingle with.

The majority of people were gathered under the large pavilion where a dance floor was set up in front of the stage and surrounded by picnic tables. It was once they had woven their way through the crowd that they spotted Jasper. He was standing next to a girl a bit shorter than him, with dark hair, and wearing a cream dress. They were talking and grinning at each other, swapping laughs between them.

On the stage the band had finished setting up, and the lead guitar came up to the microphone. "Hello Arcadia! We are the Grounders, and we wanna start this evening with a cover of one of our favorite songs… Oh…" Hearing the first few chords, Clarke and Octavia instantly knew what song they were playing.

...

 _Lady, running down to the riptide_

 _Taken away to the dark side_

 _I wanna be your left hand man_

...

"Ah Clarke!" Octavia jumped excitedly and grabbed her friends hand, "Let's go dance!" The guys would dance too, eventually, but they had different priorities: drinks and food. They grabbed a couple beers and some fair food and found a picnic table near the dance floor.

Occasionally Bellamy would look up to check on his sister – and Clarke. He scanned the crowd and noticed Clarke dancing with some guy, and his sister with another one, someone he at least recognized from Monroe's party.

"Bellamy, aren't you gonna dance?" Monty asked him.

"Yeah I will," he sighed, feeling tense. Being an older brother, he was still in 'protect mode,' and he couldn't relax. He would go out eventually, after he'd had a couple beers.

* * *

Later on, as Bellamy was returning to the table with another beer, he glanced over the crowd and noticed that Clarke and Octavia weren't dancing where they were a few minutes ago. He looked around and spotted Lincoln and Octavia dancing together along with Jasper and Maya. It took him a bit longer to find Clarke, who now had a snow cone in her hand and was talking to some _other_ guy. He was doing all kinds of things to get her to laugh, and Bellamy rolled his eyes at the pair.

"Hey, Bellamy right?" He heard a deep voice addressing him and glanced to see Murphy standing beside him.

"Yeah," he answered tersely, keeping his head forward and his eyes on the crowd.

"I'm glad Clarke came back, I missed her." Murphy continued to goad him, "How do you know her?"

"How do _you_ know her, Murphy?" he threw the question back.

He didn't answer. Bellamy noticed that Clarke had returned to dance with Octavia when another song came on, a popular one that they probably knew all the words to.

"The brunette is hot."

His jaw snapped shut and on instinct his arm twitched as his hand formed a fist. He strained to not react to whatever game this guy was playing.

"That's my sister." He bit out, not even trying to remain neutral anymore.

"And you are _clearly_ the older brother. My bad," he paused and took a breath, "but hey I get it man, off limits." Bellamy thought that he almost sounded sincere.

"But Clarke – damn she grew up." And then he was back to his game.

"She's off limits too." Bellamy said lowly.

"Got it," Murphy smirked, getting all the info he needed.

Bellamy sent him a glare before walking off towards the dance floor. He shook off his anger and tried to remind himself that despite being surrounded by douchebags, Clarke and Octavia were big girls, and they could take care of themselves. Taking a long sip from his beer, he decided it was time for him to go find someone to dance with.

He ended up running into Gina who he'd met at the diner this morning. And discovering they had quite a lot in common, they talked for a while before hitting the dance floor.

* * *

One by one the guys on the dance floor soon returned to the table to take a break and have another beer. Later on, the girls came over with Jasper and Maya, and the group all sat together to chill and eat burgers (of the beef _and_ black bean variety) and fries.

"Clarke, I love this place," Octavia said looking around her at the lively people moving around the Victorian town.

"Yeah it's great," Jasper grinned, looking at Maya sitting beside him.

The band announced that they were slowing it down for the evening and they started with 'A Summer Song' by Chad and Jeremy. "Ohh, I love this song," Octavia jumped up from the table. "Lincoln," she said, getting his attention, "will you come dance with me?"

He groaned and claimed he was tired out for the evening.

"Please," she begged, "this will be the last one, I promise."

Lincoln glanced warily at Bellamy, but seeing no objection from her older brother, he agreed and got up to follow her onto the dance floor.

Across the table, Jasper bumped Bellamy's shoulder and directed his chin at the two leaving, his friend and his little sister, who were holding hands as she led him to the dance floor. He watched them leave and was surprised when he turned back to the table to see everyone looking at him.

"You're okay with that?" Jasper asked, a bit surprised Bellamy would let them go without saying anything.

Bellamy paused to think and took a large sip of his beer. "Not really," he winced. "But, hey," he shrugged and continued, "I'd rather have her dancing with someone I know and _trust_ than some random guy." he glanced around the party crowd.

"They're not _all_ bad," Clarke protested, and stood up to go get another drink, "just the ones I warned you about."

"And knowing you two, those are the ones you're gonna end up with," he said under his breath once she'd left the table.

"Thank you Arcadia! You've been a wonderful audience!" the lead guitar came back on the mic to close for the evening. "Tonight, we're gonna end with a song, that we think _truly_ exemplifies the relaxed Southern California spirit…" The song started gradually with a tender background before the other instruments came in and the lyrics started.

…

 _When you're on a holiday_

 _You can't find the words to say_

 _All the things that come to you_

 _And I wanna feel it too_

…

Monty rolled his eyes at his friend's obliviousness, "Bellamy, go dance with her."

He tried to just go for it, his head wanted him to, but his heart hesitated. Her friendship was too valuable to lose, it wasn't worth the risk.

"You can dance to one song together and still be friends," Monty insisted.

Bellamy swallowed and took a deep breath and quickly got up to catch up with Clarke.

He found her standing at the edge of the pavilion, watching the band.

"Hey, Clarke!" He called to get her attention.

"Yeah?" She turned to him with a smile and was surprised to see him looking quite serious.

"Do you want to dance?"

She hesitated, obviously pausing to think it over.

"Come dance with me," he grinned and held out his hand to her.

She looked nervous, but as soon as their hands touched, strangely enough, it felt right.

…

 _On an island in the sun_

 _We'll be playing and having fun_

 _And it makes me feel so fine_

 _I can't control my brain_

…

Dancing with him, Clarke forgot every hesitation, every reason to keep her distance from Bellamy, she just wanted to be close to him. Her skin tingled where his hand was on her waist. She placed her other arm on his shoulder, but soon they drew closer and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As they danced together, Clarke was really happy to be back in Arcadia and glad that Bellamy was here with her.

…

 _When you're on a golden sea_

 _You don't need no memory_

 _Just a place to call your own_

 _As we drift into the zone_

…

Looking into his eyes, she felt light and free, new, not haunted and sad by the past, but excitement for where they might go. As the song intensified leading into the chorus, he grabbed her hands and they laughed as they spun around together with the music. This summer, with him, she knew she would be okay. Much more than okay.

…

 _We'll run away together_

 _We'll spend some time forever_

 _We'll never feel bad anymore_

…

After a few minutes, the song had ended. But they stood in a trance, wrapped in each other's arms, eyes locked together. He looked at her with a warm, almost vulnerable expression.

Clarke looked at Bellamy like it was the first time she was _really_ seeing him. Not just her friend's older brother, but _Bellamy_. She flitted her gaze between his eyes and his lips and felt a rushing need to kiss him. She saw the flash appear in his eyes as well, and with no more hesitation, she started to lean forward.

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you again for reading! Please review!

...

I try not to include too much lyrics for those who don't like it, if anyone's really bothered by including lyrics please just let me know and I can just name the songs.

I hope you guys like Ms. B, she's one of my first OCs, I would guess her to be loosely based on Marcus's mom, who looked after the tree on the Arc.

I have included a casual culture of drinking alcohol in this fic. I expect these characters to drink responsibly, no drunk driving, they can however drink as much they want at home, or if they have a DD or Uber.


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